Eavesdropper
by Zelis
Summary: Ino didn't mean to. On her way home one night, she overheard Naruto arguing with Sakura and Sasuke. Now she's struggeling to pick up the shattered pieces of his heart and help him move forward one step at a time. NaruIno CH9-10 is up.
1. Prelude

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did then Itachi and Jiraiya would both still be alive.**

**Prelude**

Autumn wind blew across the city of Konoha. It was late, dark clouds blanketed the sky. Thunder boomed through the air to warn the inhabitants of the village the incoming rain. The handful of people that were outdoors rushed for cover so as to beat the rain.

Naruto stood at the entrance down an alley, his hands clinched tightly and his brow narrowed in frustration. "Sakura-chan… why?" He spoke.

Sakura stared at her feet. Replacing the usual strong woman was a frail teenager, shivering from her shot nerves, "I… I'm sorry Naruto."

"But what about all that time we spent together? Don't those memories mean anything to you? What about me?" He argued passionately while trying to fight the tears back.

"My heart… my heart belongs to Sasuke-kun. We had good times, and I…I do love you. But…" Sakura spoke as her hand reached out and grasped Sasuke's. Her fingers tightened their hold on his to reassure her decision.

The Uchiha heir remained aloof to the situation at hand. He noticed that she kept glancing his direction, as if to signal for him to confirm what they were doing and reassure her it was the right thing. He didn't care though. His desires were being fulfilled and that was all that mattered. He would let Sakura and Naruto emotionally tear each other down; that is unless his goal was being threatened.

"What about my heart?" Naruto slammed his closed hand against the brick wall.

"I…I…" Sakura stuttered. If there was one thing she ever had trouble dealing with, it was an emotional Naruto.

"I bled. I sweat. I trained for years to bring Sasuke back. Not for me, but for you! As time moved on things began to change around us. I felt that we were getting closer. Is all that a lie? Were the emotions behind that kiss you gave me fake?" Tears dropped as he brought up that memory. For once in his life he felt helpless.

Rain drops hit the ground as Sakura looked across the alley at the breaking blond. She watched as he shook emotionally. "No…" She remembered the night she kissed him. Naruto was upset because he failed to convince Madara to stop his plans peacefully and was forced to kill the powerful Uchiha. The fight had shown her just how precious he was to her, and with the kind of enemies he fought against, his time on the planet could be cut short at any moment. She gave into her emotions that night but she had never imagined it coming back on her like this.

"That kiss wasn't fake. Everything I meant was true." Sakura spoke softly. Naruto was loosing it. Every tear he shed, every pulsing pain in his heart, everything. She felt it. She knew she held his heart in her hands, but never did she imagined it was like this.

"Then call off the wedding. Sasuke-teme is just using you. He said it himself. Once Uchiha Itachi was dead, he planned on resurrecting his clan." Naruto opened his hand and then closed it again, scraping his demonic nails against the brick wall unconsciously.

Sakura shook her head, "He may not be as expressive as you, Naruto, but his feelings for me are true."

"How can you be so sure? Does he ever say "I love you"? Does he walk beside you and listen to your opinions? Does he comfort you when your sad? DID HE CHOOSE TO STAY WITH YOU INSTEAD OF RUNNING TO OROCHIMARU?" Naruto yelled out the last part, his voice cracking under the words.

"I…I…" Sakura took a step back from his words. His words hit home. She'd be the first admit that things were like that once. But now… _"Your wrong Naruto. Sasuke-kun is different now. He's change. He's become…"_ She took a step back as is words had physically struck her.

Sasuke looked at Sakura then turned his head back toward Naruto. The uncertainty on his fiancé's face brought a scowl to his face. "I find it ironic on how you call yourself a friend. Friends are happy for their friends." His words laced with venom as dark eyes gazed into blue eyes.

A silent battle of wills began to take place as both refused to break eye contact. "Happy? If she found someone else other than me, it'd hurt, but…" Naruto's hissed venomously, "But your not that someone else! You're just using her for your own selfish ends!"

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled out. Both males immediately looked in her direction, "If you can't accept us. Then don't come to the wedding." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a white envelope with silvery writing. With a breaking heart she held it up so he could see and ripped it in two.

"Sakura-chan… you… you can't be serious." Naruto stepped back in disbelief, shaking his head as if denying the reality would change everything.

"I… I want you out of my life!" Sakura took a step forward. "As a jinchūriki I figured you would understand the most at how people deserve happiness. But now…" she hesitated with her words. It was killing her at what she was doing, but she inwardly believed it was for the best. "Now I understand just how you really are. A jinchūriki could never understand matters of the human heart. Leave!"

Sasuke smirked at her choice of words. Naruto stood there with his mouth hung open. His eyes flashing red and blue violently as pain and anger fought for control of his heart. Naruto never thought it was possible to feel two extreme emotions at once… until tonight.

"Did you not hear her? Leave us jinchūriki. We don't want to see you in our presence again." Sasuke shouted and threw a kunai in front of a Naruto to emphasis his point.

"Arg!" Naruto shouted in frustration and quickly turned around. His hand shot up mid turn and left a vicious gash in the wall. "Sakura… if that is what you want…" The tears stung his eyes as he forced himself to choke out his words, "Teme, keep her happy. It's all I ask."

Sakura watched as his disappeared from sight, catching the chan honorific missing from her name. "God, Sasuke-kun, what have I done?" She dropped to her knees in a heavy sob.

XX

Naruto's shoulders drooped as he hung his head low in defeat. His eyes darkened with sadness and dragged his feet down the sidewalk. His clothes were wet, his body was shaking from the cold and he felt like shit. This was the worst day of his life.

A hand reached out and grabbed his shoulder. Instinctively Naruto spun around with his left hand balled into a fist, ready to pound his would-be attacker. His eyes came across platinum blonde hair and pale blue eyes and his raised fist dropped to his side limply. Standing in front of him was Ino and she clearly looked upset.

"Naruto… I'm sorry." She whispered.

"So you heard?" Naruto turned his gaze away from her, seemingly finding the bottom of the lamppost near them more interesting.

"I didn't mean to overhear it. Just the shop was nearby and I had to work late to make some floral arrangements. I was on my way home when I heard shouting." She admitted to him.

"How much did you hear?" He questioned. Her expression told him everything.

Ino felt her cheeks go red. She felt ashamed from hearing that private conversation, but no one, least of all Naruto, deserved to have that happen to them. "I'm so sorry Naruto. I didn't mean to… I…"

The jinchūriki shook his head, "No. It's okay. What's been done is done. If you heard everything then you probably heard what I am."

Ino knew what a jinchūriki was. There was a rumor that a jinchūriki had resided in Konoha. She just never imagined that it was Naruto.

"If you want to run away from me, that's fine. I wouldn't blame you." He turned away from her and slowly began to walk away. He kicked a nearby can as his hands found their way into his pockets.

Ino closed her eyes, the words clung to her heart like a vice. The Naruto before her was a shell of his formal self, an image she recognized from her own father when her mother had left them. She refused to let Naruto experience the same turmoil her father did.

Soft hands wrapped around Naruto's waist bringing him to a sudden halt. He blinked in confusion until he realized what had just taken place. A warm body pressed against his back, "Your not going home tonight." Came a feminine voice he recognized.

"Ino…" He grabbed her left hand and gently turned to face her. His eyes were bloodshot and his cheeks were puffy and red. Tears were falling down but he put on a strong front, "I'm fine Ino… I'm…"

"Naruto. It's okay… for once you can just let it all go. You have me with you." She whispered softly as her right hand went up to his whiskered scarred cheek and caressed it gently.

"Ino… I…" He felt unsure what to say as he fought back the sobs. "I'm… I'm…fi…"

He dropped to his knees as the dam holding back his pain burst. Ino dropped with him and grabbed the back of his head, pressing his head into her chest. His hands snaked around her and cling to the hem of her skirt as he were holding onto his heart. "Why? Why does it hurt so much?" She could barely hear his muffled sobs over the rain.

"Sakura, you idiot." Ino bit her lip trying to fight back the raging emotions building inside of her.


	2. Inoichi's Return

**Chapter 1: Inoichi's Return**

Inoichi, along with the rest of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio, leisurely walked through the busy streets of Konoha. They just returned from a week long mission, and not a day too soon. "A week away from home and I already missed this place." Inoichi said with a yawn, "What I wouldn't do for a nice bed right about now."

"Aoh, sleep can wait, I'm starving. Let's head to my restaurant and eat!" Choza suggested merrily.

Shikaku politely declined, "Sorry, I'm going to head home and work on the report for the hokage."

"Shizune-sama said the fifth will be out for a few days for family issues." Choza slapped Shikaku on the back playfully. He gave his scarred friend a wide smile, "It can wait until later."

Shikaku tucked his thumbs into the pockets of his pants and hung his arms lifelessly at his sides. His posture slouched a bit with a masked of indifference in his eyes. Inoichi and Choza immediately picked up the tell sign of when Shikaku had something on his mind. "Troublesome." The shadow master mumbled as if he was talking to no one in general.

Choza and Inoichi looked at each other and then back at their comrade. "Something happen Shikaku?" Inoichi voiced his concern.

"You don't find it odd?" Shikaku looked at their unchanging expressions. _"So much for mind walkers being Konoha's best lie detectors."_ He thought cynically.

They walked by the Yamanaka flower shop as Inochi came to a sudden stop. "It's Thursday."

"I know." Choza said as his eyes turned toward the door to the shop and noticed the closed sign. "Ah."

"Hime must be sick today." Choza shrugged. Wasn't like he kept up with the man's daughter.

"Mr. Yamanaka! Mr. Nara! Mr. Akimichi!" Came a bright voice drowning out the noise of the busy crowd. They looked down the wall as Konoha's Cherry Blossom came running toward them with an arm waving wildly.

"Hey, have either of you seen Ino, Naruto or Tsunade?" Sakura asked coming to a full stop in front of them.

"Sorry Sakura, we just got back into town from a mission. Been gone for a week." Choza explained as the other two nodded.

"Oh… strange. I haven't seen Naruto for a couple of days now." Sakura crossed her arms under her breasts. Her brow was hard pressed, as if she had a lot on her mind. "I wanted to talk to Naruto about the other day. Then suddenly Ino disappear and now Tsunade-shishō. Shizune-sempai said Tsunade-shishō had a family emergency, but I didn't realize she had any relatives alive."

That pique the three jonin's interest, "Have you tried my house?" asked Inoichi.

"Yes. I've already asked Shikamaru and Choji as well and all I get is "We're not her baby sitter" or something along those lines." An idea suddenly popped into Sakura's head as she banged a fist against her palm, "Ah ha! I should check the casino. Bet I'll find Tsunade-shishō there."

Sakura turned around and took a few steps away before coming to a sudden stop, remembering why she waved them down to begin with. She turned and flashed her left hand up to reveal an engagement ring, "Oh did I tell you the news?"

"Oh?" Choza and Inoichi responded in unison. "I'm engaged! We're having the wedding the day after my ninja license expires next month."

"Congratulations. Tell Naruto if he needs some advice on marriage to come ask me." Shikaku offered nonchalantly.

Sakura gave a small, unsure laugh. Inoichi and Shikaku immediately picked up her tense body language, "Well, the thing is…" She trailed off. The three jonins immediately put half of the news together.

"_Poor boy."_ Choza thought saddened. The other two had similar thoughts. They knew the boy was madly in love with Sakura, and from the way she acted around the boy in public, her feelings were mutual.

"I'm getting married to Sasuke." Sakura smiled happily.

Inoichi's eyes widened as Shikaku gave a scowl of disgust. "Sasuke…" The name slipped off of Inoichi's lips with malice. Many of the jonins abhorred the Uchiha, Inoichi included.

"Yep!" Sakura chirped. "Well, I'll be seeing you. Bye." Sakura waved then took off to the rooftops in the direction of the casino.

"That explains Naruto and Tsunade-sama." Inoichi said.

Choza looked at Shikaku, "How'd you figure it out?"

"Shizune said Tsunade was out due to a family emergency. It wasn't hard to figure it out that it involved Naruto. Though, I wasn't expecting Sakura to have a hand in this." Shikaku said.

"I'd love to stay and talk about this, but I'm going home to take a shower and a long nap. I'll stop by the restaurant tonight for some dinner." Inoichi said as he began to walk in the direction to his house.

"Come by at eight if you want the meal for free. You too." Choza said to Inoichi then turned to Shikaku. Inoichi just raised a hand in acknowledgement.

XX

Inoichi went to grab the doorknob to his front door but found it locked. Cursing and fumbling with his keys he unlocked the door and slipped inside. He took a step forward before tripping and falling his face on the soft carpet. "Ino and her stuff." He grumbled with a few curses mixed in.

He picked himself up and reached down to pick up a green duffle bag, "Huh? I don't remember Ino buying this." He opened it and scanned the contents of the bag with his hand and eyes. What the hell? It was nothing but male clothes!

"There better not be a boy in my house!" His eyes flared up with fire. Determined to catch her in the act, he snuck down the hallway until he came near the kitchen. The sound of water alerted him that someone was in there at the sink.

He jumped into the kitchen with the duffle bag in hand, "Alright young lady! Where is he?" He demanded with a father's authority that promised years of pain and suffering.

The curved figure at the sink who wore a very familiar kimono turned around with a butcher knife in hand. Almond chocolate eyes met pale blue. Fright shivered down the spine of the Yamanaka head, "Tsunade-hime. What are you doing here?"

"I've been helping your daughter take care of Naruto." Tsunade said sternly.

Inoichi gave her a blank look, "Naruto's here?"

"'fraid so. His nerves are shot and his body is reacting to extreme stress. In short, severe depression. Upset stomach, fever, chills, fatigue." Tsunade turned toward her cutting board and picked it up. She walked over to the stove with a large pot of boiling water. "I'm making some soup if your hungry. Ino is upstairs tending to Naruto if you want to see them."

Inoichi smiled softly. This was a side of the Hokage he never seen before. No masks, no title, just a woman looking after her child. Now he understood why the kid was so fond of the elderly woman. "I met Sakura on the way over here."

Tsunade stopped stirring and stared lifelessly into the pot. While she didn't hate the girl, she hated what she did to her child. "She told me about the wedding." Inoichi admitted.

"How's my daughter?" Inoichi walked toward the counter. He eyed the various medicine that were organized by size against the wall. He recognized some of the drugs. Expensive but high quality medicine. He chuckled inwardly. _"Leave it to Tsunade to pull no punches when it comes to the kid."_

"She's been with him continuously." Tsunade turned toward Inoichi. "Hand me the salt." Inoichi reached into the cabinet and grabbed the large salt shaker Ino used for cooking and handed it to the Hokage.

"It'll be ready shortly." Tsunade said sensing the man's uneasiness. "Your daughter is with Naruto in her bedroom."

Inoichi had a deer-in-the-headlights look, "She let Naruto use her bedroom?"

Tsunade nodded, "She feels guilty because she overheard Naruto arguing with Sakura and Sasuke and watched him break down."

Inoichi walked toward the door and sat the duffle bag on the table as he passed by. "Inoichi." He heard Tsunade call out.

"Ino heard Sakura and Sasuke call Naruto a jinchūriki. Any questions she has about it is Naruto's place to tell." Tsunade said as she walked toward the cabinet and grabbed several large bowls.

Inoichi nodded in agreement., "Are you going to invoke the third's law then?"

"'fraid not. The brat's got a heart of gold. He begged me not to." Tsunade walked back toward the pot and took a large spoon and tasted her handiwork. "Needs more pepper."

"Then what are you going to do?" Inoichi felt a slight tug of respect toward the jinchūriki. It would take someone with a very kind heart to refuse ill will toward someone who slighted him so jadedly.

"Legally nothing." Tsunade said. Inoichi frowned. "Doesn't mean their actions are going unchecked. Karma always was a bitch."

XX

Ino sat on a chair beside Naruto. The room was quite large for a bedroom. Stuffed dolls were neatly arranged in one corner on top of a dresser. Beside it was a large mirror with a orient design. Sticky notes with various beauty tips ranging from the strange to the insane plastered the top of it.

In the other corner was a door leading to a large walk in closet. Sakura once made a comment about it being half the size of her bedroom. She wasn't far off. Ino measured both.

Ino took pride and joy in her room. Unlike Shikamaru and Choji, their house was modern so it allowed her to paint her walls her favorite shade of purple. Between her closet and doorway was a large bed with pink covers. She always slept with far more pillows than she really needed, but she had felt the current occupant of the bed would've been unaccustomed to such a luxury and threw but two on the floor.

She had borrowed the white chair from her desk against the wall near the window and sat close to Naruto as he slept. Her fingers delicately caressed his strands of oily hair. First thing he was doing when he got better was taking a bath! Still, it amazed her at how soft his hair could be even after a few days of not bathing.

His face twisted to discomfort as he shifted his body, "No… I'm sorry. Don't leave… me…" Ino frowned and wiped the beads of sweat off his forehead with the small towel on her chair's armrest.

"Still having nightmares. I always thought the great Uzumaki had no fears." She set the towel and placed a palm on his forehead. "To hold your head up high with such a burden on your shoulders. To always smile even though everyday just brought pain."

She checked to make sure he was still asleep and then lowered close to his ear, "Don't tell anyone this, but I envy you. I wish I had your courage."

"I'd say your pretty courageous yourself, Hime." Ino turned her head and saw Inoichi standing at the doorway.

"Father!" She rushed out her chair, knocking it over, and embraced Inoichi in a tearful hug.

"There now. Hokaga-sama is cooking some food. Let's go downstairs and eat and we'll talk." Inoichi smiled as his daughter turned and looked at Naruto. "He'll be fine."

XX

"I see." Inoichi sipped his sake. Ino had just finished telling him everything that had happened. From Naruto's argument with Sakura and Sasuke to her asking Shikamaru to get Tsunade for help. Quite frankly, he was impressed with the way Ino handled herself.

"Tsunade-shishō," Ino looked at Tsunade as she set her spoon down. "I know you said it was Naruto's place to tell me about his burden, but can I ask you something?"

Tsunade gave a nod for the teen to say what she wanted. "I never thought about it until the other day. When we were kids I used to see the grownups torment him. I always thought it was because of his pranks…"

The girl was sharp, Tsunade had to give her that. Though considering who she hung around with and her clan it didn't really surprise her, "The life of a jinchūriki is a lonely one. People are foolish and hate what they do not understand. They tormented and alienated him every chance they could. And when their actions wasn't enough, they ingrained it into their children."

"Such a sad existence." Ino said suddenly losing all hunger.

"It is. Me and that perverted sage used to talk a lot about Naruto. There were many things we regretted in the past. One regret we shared was not coming to Konoha sooner for the brat. Heaven knows the boy deserved a family." Though what Tsunade had said carried a lot of weight, Ino still smiled because she knew that along the way the boy had gained a family. He just never opened his eyes to see it.

"I'd still like to get even with Sasuke and Sakura." Ino spoke with malice.

"Just like I told your father. Our hands are tied." Tsunade said pouring herself another glass of saki, "The jonin council already passed their verdict on the Uchiha last week."

Inoichi gave Tsunade a confused look, "No one told me about a jonin session."

"We didn't call for a session until the day after you left." Tsunade informed.

"What was it about?" asked Inoichi.

"The sanctions concerning Uchiha Sasuke." The name rolled off of Tsunade's lips venomously. Ino cringed at the thought of Tsunade catching Sasuke in an alley. A dead man tell no tales and she was pretty sure the Uchiha wouldn't be around to point out his murderer.

"And that is?" He watched Tsunade with interest as she took a large gulp from her glass of sake. He'd never understand how that woman could drink sake like most people drank water.

Tsunade set her glass down and returned the gaze to Inoichi, "His ninja license has been suspended indefinitely. His chakra has been sealed and he is forbidden from leaving Konoha for three years unless he has permission and an escort. Furthermore, he's allowed to keep his family's estate and money, but they're losing their status as a clan. It takes more than one person to make a clan after all."

Ino's and Inoichi's jaw dropped. Ino heard there were sanctions being placed on the Uchiha, but she never imagined they were this severe.

"Oh it gets better. All of his family's jutsus are being confiscated and will be copied and, depending on the jutsu, will be handed over to the academy and library. Not to mention he's stuck working community service for about a year. I hear Hiashi is making his life hell right now." Tsunade laughed at Ino's and Inoichi's reaction.

Inoichi ate a spoonful of his soup and begin talking with a mouthful of vegetables, "Now I see why you can't do anything to the Uchiha legally."

"Daddy!" Ino scolded, "Manners."

Inoichi swallowed his food, "Sorry sweetie."

Ino gave a yawn. "Tired hime?" Inoichi eyed his daughter as she stood up from the table.

"A little. Nothing a soldier pill won't solve." She said.

The sound of a glass being set back down on the table echoed through the room, "Oh no young lady. You'll be sleeping in my bed."

"But daddy!" Ino protested.

"Don't worry. I'll take care of Naruto while you're asleep. Hokage-sama, if your staying the night, your more than welcome to share my bed with Ino. It's quite large. I'll take the couch." Inoichi offered.

Ino kissed Inoichi's cheek, "Night daddy. Night Tsunade-shishō." Ino left the dinning room and headed for the stairs.

"I'll take you up on that offer. Now that Ino is gone." Tsunade said as she pushed her bowl away and rested her elbows on the table. She locked her fingers together and rested them under her chin. "I have a matter to discuss with you."

"Hmm?" Inoichi sat his spoon down and pushed his bowl to the side as well. The look in Tsunade's eyes told him she meant business.

"We are having a Kage summit here in Konoha in a couple of weeks. I realize you just got home, but this is an important mission and must be kept under wraps. I need the original Ino-Shika-Cho to escort a special guest for me. Consider it a D-rank mission with S-rank pay. It'll be under the radar of course." Tsunade smirked as a familiar gleam of greed hit Inoichi's eyes.

Easy money always had a loud voice.

**A/N: I've already written three more chapters for this story. I'm just proof reading them and tweaking them to my liking. It's just too fun and I had to much time on my hands this weekend so meh… why not? Make sure you guys spoil me with reviews and tell me how much you enjoy it.**


	3. Torn

**Chapter 2: Torn**

Tsunade leaned back into the hokage's chair wearily. A half empty bottle of sake sat on the desk with a glass full beside it. She didn't care if anyone came in and saw it. If they said anything she'd put the poor bastard through a door like she did Kotetsu that morning when he made a comment about it. Thankfully, Shizune had been understanding and let her dranking habit slide… for today at least.

She stared at the paper work unenthusiastically, even more discouraged than normal to do any of it. While she was tempted to do her usual genjutsu routine and make it all temporarily vanish out sight, a match and a paper bon fire sounded much more appealing. The decision on that loan to Konoha University could wait.

"If I had known you didn't want to be here that much, I'd have henged myself and took care of the paperwork for you." Shizune said jokingly as she walked to the desk with even more paperwork in her hands.

Tsunade shot her a begging look. "Oh no, you're here now. Your stuck with all that work." Shizune shot her silent request down.

"I know it was mandatory for me to come back and run things…" Tsunade wheeled her chair around to face the window and stare in the direction of the Yamanaka household.

"Relax." Shizune dropped the stack on the desk. "You allowed Ino to keep him at her house for a reason, right?"

Tsunade nodded, "Only because the girl argued when I wanted we take him back to my place. Kids." Tsunade said fondly, "They play doctor for a couple of days and suddenly they know what's best."

Shizune gave a small giggle, "Well, you did agree to it." She reminded.

"Only because I know my duties as a hokage won't allow me to be there all the time."

A quickly series of knocks on the door brought the conversation to a close. Shizune watched with a smirk as Tsunade donned her poker face and whirled her chair around to her desk. Elbows on the table, hands held up high and fingers loosely locked together while not to far from her chin.

The door opened as Homaru and Koharu walked in, uncaring if Tsunade granted them permission or not. _"This is going to be interesting."_ Shizune thought wickedly. Tsunade wasn't in the mood for games… too bad no one passed the memo to the advisors.

XX

Ino silently cleaned the living room, trying her best to avoid waking the sleeping occupant upstairs. She folded the blanket her father had used while mentally grumbling about old men needing to learn how to pick up after themselves. After setting the blanket on the couch, she placed her hands on her hips and admired her handiwork around the room.

Satisfied, she crept to the kitchen to take an energy bar. She was starving, but cooking could wait. She had other things on her mind. She savagely tore into the bar, all manners thrown out the window, as she began her way up the stairs. A loud thump came from her bedroom.

"_Guess the loudmouth is up."_ She thought humorously at her small joke.

Slowly, she pushed to door to her room open, the first sight that came was Naruto. He was sitting on the side of her bed, arms on his legs and eyes void of any life aimed at the carpet. The chair she had been sitting while watching him had been knocked over, explaining the thump she had heard.

She walked to the bed and plopped down beside him, hoping that by keeping a cheery attitude it'd spread. Smiles are contagious after all. Or so she wanted to believe. "How you feeling." She asked.

Silence… "So…" She tried to think of anything that'd pick up his attitude. "Iruka-sensei and Kakashi-sensei came by this morning." Still no response.

"Did you know that Kakashi-sensei was seeing that ramen girl?" She knew he knew. He was the closest person in Konoha to the legendary Copy Ninja, it'd be blasphemous if he didn't know. But it was at least a conversation starter.

He just sat there motionlessly, unresponsive and uncaring. Ino swore the statue in front of the library had more life than him. She decided to take a different approach. "I hear Iruka-sensei is gay." No reaction. So much for prodding him with a lie. _"Damn, he's a tough nut to crack."_

"Why are you doing this?" Naruto broke his silence. His voice was sullen with defeat, as if no longer had a reason to live.

"Doing what?" She fiddled with the hem of her skirt. She wanted to act happy in front of him, show him that the sun was still shining in the world… but his attitude was a real downer! She didn't know if she wanted to slap him or wrap her arms around him and hold him tight until he promised to be the loud boisterous knuckleheaded ninja that drove her up the wall.

"Why are you bothering with someone like me? In the past… you showed no interest in my well being. If its cause of Shikamaru and Choji, you can stop. I don't want you to do something you don't want to." He was hurt and confused, and to be taken in by a girl who showed him no interest… he couldn't help but be suspicious.

"In the past…" Ino started, unsure just how stable he was. His world just slipped through his fingers and he been sick, incoherent and too tired to think. Now he was stronger… at least his coloring and some of his strength had returned. He was able to think about the situation and she feared what conclusion he came to.

"In the past, I probably would have let Tsunade-shishō take you home when she requested but…" She bit her lip. This was much tougher than she thought. "The things I saw and heard… I know I've made some stupid mistakes in the past, but I want to make up for them by being there for you in the present. It took me awhile, but now I see why Choji and Shikamaru are your friends." Her honesty caught him off guard. He hated pity, and he was expecting it from her, but it seemed the girl felt anything but pity… it was guilt.

"You don't even know me." Ino agreed at the sentence. She didn't like it, but she couldn't deny the fact. She didn't know him. She learned more about him in the past few days than she ever did when they were growing up.

"I know. I want to change that. I want to get to know you. Not Uzumaki Naruto the prankster and genin from Konoha…" She placed a hand on his arm. He flinched from the initial contact.

She hated his reaction. A sign of just how deeply Sakura had affected him. She watched as he turned to face her, and stared deeply into his bloodshot eyes. Her grandmother had always said the eyes were the doorway to one's soul, and if she had anything to go by, it looked as if Naruto's soul had been shattered into a thousand pieces. She continued, "But Uzumaki Naruto, the jinchūriki and sage of Konoha. The boy who saved us all in our time of crisis. The boy who so willingly gave all of his heart Haruno Sakura. That's the Naruto I want to meet."

Naruto ripped his arm away from her and jumped to his feet. He legs carried him to the window, leaning the majority of his body's weight against the wall, his eyes drift down to the streets below. He watched the busy street, families going about their daily lives without a care in the world. He envied them; he envied everything they had that he was denied because of his curse. It was so easy for them to be accepted by one another. But him... he was different. Those who didn't know of his curse accepted him for face value... and when they learned...

Yet here was Ino, soothing him with pre-judged words, as if she already knew the outcome of what effects knowing his secret would bring. He wanted to believe her, believe that she wouldn't hate him like everyone else did. "If… if you knew the truth. If you knew which jinchūriki I was, you wouldn't want anything to do with me."

"You'll never know until you try me." Ino forced herself to smile. His pessimist attitude had hurt, the way he accused her so easily… but she knew he wasn't his normal self. She had to take it all with a grain of salt.

She took the initiative to prove her conviction and followed him to the window, standing much too close than she would normally prefer. She took a hand and held it to his cheek, "If you don't want to tell me…" She spoke in a motherly tone, "Its' okay. I can wait until your ready. But take my advice, you should learn to trust others with your burden. It's unfair that you choose to shoulder all that pain on your own when you have people who's willing to help you."

She had a point. He had noticed that people were beginning to accept who and what he was. Perhaps it was time, time for him to change like the people had and learn to trust them. He could start with Ino, "The Nine-Tailed Demon Fox."

Ino gasped when she heard it. "You mean…" fear flowed through the tone of her voice.

She watched as his eyes changed from a piercing blue to a blood red, the pupil taking a feral shape. It frightened her. She didn't even realize that she was quivering fearfully until Naruto prevented her from removing her hand by placing his own on hers. She looked at the nails, stunned at how much they had grown. From the looks of them, they were capable of doing far more damage than any shuriken or kunai she could throw.

"If you want to run and call me names, I don't care. I'm used to it." He removed her offending hand from his cheek.

She said with a hesitant courage, "I… I am scared, Naruto. The truth… its more frightening than I thought it would be." She pressed her lips thinly, knowing that she wasn't the only one in the room who was afraid. The way he turned his gaze away and his shoulders tensed, she knew he was scared… scared of her reaction. "But not frightening enough to run away. Especially not from you. When I said I want to know you, I meant it. I promise."

Now all she could do was wait. She said her piece, it was up to him if he accepted it. She watched him critically, analyzing his features for any sign of change to indicate what was going through his mind. She didn't even notice that she was holding her breath until he finally allowed himself to look her in the eyes. Ocean blue had returned, revealing that a soft sparkle of life had returned. No where near his hold self, but it was a start.

"Thank you." He said softly.

Ino smiled at him, "It's what friends are for."

She turned to leave, stopping at the doorway with her left hand gripping the frame, she gave a quarter turn toward him, "Dinner will be ready in thirty minutes. Why don't you go take a shower. Hope you don't mind smelling like strawberries."

The small smile on his lips told her things were going to get better… one step at a time.

XX

"When you're done wiping the floors; the stables need cleaning." Hiashi ordered Uchiha Sasuke, who was down on his knees with a towel scrubbing the meeting room. "And make sure you give Sunflower her bath. I want her groomed and prepped for when I take my daughters for our monthly ride."

"Yes, Hiashi." Sasuke growled.

"Hyuga-tono." Hiashi corrected.

"My apologies, Hyuga-tono. Forgive my rudeness." Sasuke hissed the words through his teeth. Obviously he had another set of choice words in mind but kept them to himself.

Hiashi left the room muttering something along the lines of "spoiled brat" and a few unorthodox words that a Hyuga wasn't expected to use, much less, know.

XX

It was a long day as Sasuke was on his way home. He was tired, dirty, and to put it lightly, pissed. Hiashi knew how to push his buttons all to well. When he regained his clan status back, he was going to fix him! He grinned wickedly at the thought of Hiashi washing down the floors of the Uchiha compound with a toothbrush.

Coming around the corner, he saw Team 8 with their usual pointless laughing. He really didn't understand how they even managed to become ninjas to begin with. In his books, only Shino had the attitude of a ninja. Then again, the bug tamer wasn't as skilled in taijutsu as he was so his ninja capabilities was debatable.

He walked by them wordlessly, bumping Kiba in the shoulder. "Watch it Jackass." Kiba mouthed off.

"Or what, mutt?" Sasuke glanced over his shoulder with disinterest, knowing he was just pissing off the Inuzuka heir even more.

"You want me to kick your ass?" Kiba roared with Akamaru growling at his side. He clinched his fists tightly and flashed his fangs in an imitating feral manner that the Inuzuka's were known for. Any lesser person would've ran in fear, but Sasuke wasn't such a person.

"Like you could, flea bag." Sasuke said unimpressed.

"What was that?" Kiba shouted angrily. Bolts of malice held their eyes in a stare down, challenging one another to make the first move to give them a reason to throw a punch.

"Bastard." Sasuke insulted.

"Orphan." Kiba countered.

"Poodle."

"Ninja dropout."

"Enough!" Hinata shouted while pushing her way between the two. She placed her hands on Kiba's shoulders to hold him in place, "We're sorry, Sasuke-kun." Hinata apologized for Kiba.

"The hell I am!" Kiba shouted.

"What's going on?" The voice belonging to Konoha's Cherry Blossom said from up above. She landed beside Sasuke and looked at him, then Kiba, then backed to Sasuke. "Do you have to start a fight with everyone?" She slapped her hand against her face shamefully.

"Tch, I'm done with the next-to-dead-last." Sasuke said.

"Come on honey." Sakura grabbed his arm, "Let's go home before you cause an even bigger scene."

Kiba howled in laughter as Sakura dragged Sasuke away. "Yeah you better run!"

Once he quit laughing, a thought dawned on him, "Honey?" He gave Shino and Hinata a quizzical look.

XX

Tsunade managed to finally call it a night. With a yawn, she fumbled clumsily through the Yamanaka household. Truth be told, she couldn't wait until the brat was feeling better. The sooner she could return home the better. But he was worth it… even if Inoichi's piss poor excuse of a bed was beginning to kill her back.

She noticed a light coming from the living room. To her surprise, in the room sat Ino and Naruto with some musical playing on the TV. The boy was leaning against Ino, sound asleep while she turned her head and sent a pleading look at the hokage, "Help me." She mouthed.

Tsunade suppressed a laugh at the sight and grabbed the blanket from the other couch and draped it over the two teens. "Not what I meant." Ino whispered.

"I take it the brat's feeling better?" Tsunade noticed his coloring had returned. She placed the back of her hand against his forehead, or as well as she could since Ino's shoulder was blocking half of it, to check for a fever.

"He still feels drained, but he's doing better. He can go home tomorrow if he wants." Ino whispered.

"Good. No offense, but Inoichi's bed sucks. Think I'll be heading home tonight." Tsunade suppressed another yawn.

"He told me who he contained." Ino blurted out in a whisper. Ino watched Tsunade cautiously, waiting for any reaction. The elder woman's face was locked in a single emotion, as if she was processing her thoughts. Unable to take the defeaning silence between the two anymore, Tsunade disappeared into the hallway in a hurried fashion. Ino shook her head, figuring her words had upset the woman.

The movement against her arm brought her out of her stupor, reminding her of her current predicament. She couldn't remember how they got like that. One minute they were watching a movie and the next he had fallen on top of her sound asleep. His weight on her side was uncomfortable, but she decided against waking him. She was going to have to grin and bare it. God, she was going to be stiff in the morning.

A pillow came flying from the doorway and smacked her in the face. Tsunade smirked at the death glare Ino was shooting her, "I figured you wouldn't be leaving the couch any time soon."

She watched as Ino adjusted herself to what looked like a very awkward and uncomfortable sleeping position. She laid her head down on the pillow with a hand resting on Naruto's head, stroking his uncombed hair.

"Take care of the brat, Ino. Anyone he trusts with his secret is a sign that he values their word." Tsunade yawned, "Night." She waved as she saw herself out.

Unknown to the two teens on the couch, starting tomorrow they were about to embark on the greatest mission life had to offer... each other.

**A/N: Hmm, Naruto's getting better. Unfortunately for our favorite couple to be, hormones, bossy blondes and hyper boys can always lead to some very interesting situations…**

**As for the title, Natalie Imbruglia's song "Torn" reminded me of the emotional state Naruto is currently in.**


	4. Flow Like Water

**Chapter 3: Flow Like Water**

Kiba, Akumaru, Shino, Choji, Lee, Shikamaru and Naruto stood in a circle with Shikamaru passing out headsets. "Okay, everyone familiar with the rules?" Shikamaru said. The sky was mostly clear and it was a cool, autumn day. Perfect for a game to hone their skills.

"Yo." Kakashi called out. He stopped in front of the group with a book in hand, on his way to his favorite spot in the park to get some reading done. "What's going on?"

"Ninja tag." Kiba said with a grin.

Shikamaru shuffled seven cards together, "Ok, whoever gets the skull card is "it" first. Last card goes to Akamaru automatically."

"Who's point keeper?" Shino asked. Six, human pairs of eyes turned to Kakashi.

He let out a sigh, already knowing what they were about to ask, "Give me a headset. If someone gets tagged, let me know and I'll write it down." Shikamaru tossed a spare headset to the masked jonin.

"Game ends at three. Whoever gets tagged the least wins." Shikamaru informed. Everyone drew a card with several sighs of relief being heard. "Akamaru is it." The dog whined.

"Hate to tell you guys, but you're going to lose like always." Naruto bragged. "Even Kakashi-sensei can't catch me."

"Pfft, ANBU is one thing, Akamaru is another." Kiba snorted at the comment.

"Ready." Kakashi pulled out a kunai. "Everyone but Akamaru, set." As soon as the kunai hit the nearest tree, all six teens scattered. Once they were out of sight, Kakashi turned toward Akamaru, "You can go now."

With a bark of joy, Akamaru took off toward the rooftops, determined to catch the first prey he sees.

XX

Kiba and Naruto stood by a water tower, both looking in opposite directions incase Akamaru had picked up on their scent. "You know we'll never be able to out run him." Kiba sniffed the air to see if he could pick up on Akamaru's scent.

"Don't have to." Naruto explained, "I've been out running people since I was a kid. Only person who ever had any luck catching me was Iruka-sensei."

"I've been meaning to ask you that. How DID you manage to get away? Don't think we ever managed to catch you during a game of ninja tag either." Kiba, figuring the coast was clear, turned and leaned against the water tower, allowing his body a chance to relax with arms folded across his chest.

"Oh, that part is easy. Shortcuts and out maneuvering them. If someone is running at you at full speed they won't be able to turn as quickly." Naruto explained, "Also, I got most of the city mapped out." He tapped his head with his index finger.

"Oh."

"Yep. You'd be surprised how many dead ends have hidden walk ways." Naruto turned and sat on the railing, focusing more on their talk than being on lookout. "Like the dead end between Shuriken Goods and Haha's Bakery."

"What about it?" Kiba remembered the alley between the two stores. There was nothing special about it except at the end of it was blocked off by an old, cracked brick wall with a giant poster in the center that read "Leave or Die".

"If you hit the third E on the poster a tunnel will open up. You got like twenty seconds though so you gotta hurry. It leads about one hundred yards outside of Konoha. There's another tunnel that's linked with it that'll take you to the playground by the academy."

Kiba blinked. "You're serious?"

"Yep. By the way, we've been found." Naruto pointed to Kiba's left. The Inuzuka heir turned to see Akamaru a city block away, a joyful bounce was in his steps as he charged them across the rooftops.

"Scram!" Kiba shouted as both, he and Naruto, leapt from their hiding spot in full sprint. "Is any of your shortcuts nearby?" Kiba asked with heavy breathing. Akamaru was slowly catching up to them with his tongue happily hanging out. The dog was just having too much fun with the chase.

"No."

"Shit. We're not going to out run him at this pace." Kiba alerted.

"I know." Naruto panted, "But I don't have to out run him. I just have to out run you." Before Kiba could process his words, Naruto clipped his foot causing the dog tamer to trip and hit the rooftop in an ugly roll.

"You asshole!" Kiba shouted. His eyes turned to horror as Akamaru came down on him, tagging him the only way a dog knew how. That bite was going to leave a mark.

XX

Ino leaned on the counter, bored out of her mind. The day had been real slow, as most Mondays were. The flowers had all been watered, seeds planted, stock organized and inventoried, she virtually had nothing to do.

Her assistant was in the corner of the shop dusting a few vases she had received from Suna. Normally, Ino would join her if she was doing nothing, but dusting was even more boring than doing than what she was doing now. A bell rang, signaling the arrival of a customer.

"Welcome to Yamanaka's Floral." Ino turned her attention to the door. "Oh…"

Stood there was none other than Haruno Sakura, and on a shopping spree from the looks of several bags she was carrying. "Hey Ino-pig, been looking for you."

"Sorry 'bout that Billboard Brow," Ino straightened her posture, "Been out. Had to take care of a sick friend."

Sakura approached the counter, a smile as bright as the sun itself on her lips, "Sorry to hear that. So, did you hear the news?"

"About you and Sasuke?" Ino said a little less enthusiastic than she meant. Sakura was too lost in her own happiness to even notice the falter in her best friend's mood.

"Mmhmm. Can you believe it?" She held up her left hand to show off her engagement ring.

"Uh, congratulations I guess." Sakura didn't miss it then.

"You act like your not happy for me."

Ino raised both hands and waved them quickly in denial, "No no no, believe me. I'm happy for you. I just had a lot on my mind lately." She caught the questioning look on Sakura's face, "Honest."

"Riiiiiiight." Sakura said with disbelief, "Well… I came by to see your wedding catalog. We're going to need flowers and lots of them."

"Sure. So, um, shouldn't Sasuke be with you to help pick them out?" Sakura gave a small, discomforting laugh. Ino immediately picked up on the meaning, "Doesn't surprise me."

Ino walked around the counter and led her through the store. Sakura had always wondered why Ino never took up being a home decorator. While the girl had talent with flowers and plants, her imagination and eye for detail easily over shadowed it.

The inside of the shop was Ino's design, and while most of the other flower shops had everything laid out on display like a piece of merchandise, Ino had everything set out as if it was a work of art. Vases of different cultural designs littered the place on strategically arranged shelves. In each vase was a dozen flowers, each in a unique pattern carefully designed by Ino. Red roses, violet tulips, white lilies, some were flowers that Sakura had never even seen much less even knew existed.

Pictures of various flowers, most painted by Ino herself, a few contributed by Sai, were strategically placed in the center of each wall in sets of four, arranged in a diamond shaped pattern. The wallpaper was another of Ino's idea. Their old, dull blue wallpaper had been replaced with a stylish bright yellow. When asked about the color, Ino had explained how bright colors in the morning helped her wake up.

They came to a desk in the corner, close to Ino's assistant Inari. "If you got any questions just ask Inari. She's new but she's no stranger to flowers." Ino said pulling out a large catalog from the desk drawer and sat it down. "If you can't find what your looking for, or you want to see any flowers up close, just ask and we'll take you outback to the green house."

Sakura nodded and sat down. The bell from the front of the shop rang, "Got another customer."

"Hi, welcome to Yamanaka's Floral." Ino said rounding the aisle to the front.

Any boredom she previously had vanished when she noticed an orange and black clad body by the door. "Naruto?" She walked around the counter, "What are you doing here?"

"Meh, we're playing a game of Ninja Tag so I decided to lay low for a bit. By the way, if you see Kiba near the door let me know." He leaned against the counter with his elbow, his free hand casually rested in his jacket's pocket.

"So... take it you're feeling better?" The question was more of a statement, she could see for herself just how much better he was doing. Well, physically at least.

"Oh I feel great." He beamed her a solid smile, "Thanks to you. I dunno what I've done if you and granny weren't there."

"Oh," Ino blushed. Not just from the compliment, but from the genuine smile he gave. She had figured out his tell sign on when his smile was fake or real; his eyes. His eyes, when the smile was genuine, gave off a warmth that could burn through the walls of even the coldest of hearts. "It wasn't much."

"You doing anything tonight?" Naruto asked.

"Eh, once I get off I was going to practice my taijutsu." Ino said while looking at the clock. "Two more hours."

"Good, then I'll see you at four." Naruto glanced at the clock to check the time.

"Huh?"

"I'm going to help you with your taijutsu." Naruto said. His face went from happy to worry in a matter of seconds, "Hey I gotta go."

"What's the hurry?" Ino queried as he pointed to his headpiece.

"Shikamaru just got tagged and he knows I'm here talking to you." He threw several ryou on the counter. "I'll see you at four." He started to walk toward the door.

Ino picked up the money, lost at why he would leave it with her. It wasn't like he owed her anything. "What's the money for?" Her voice stopped him before he slipped through the door.

"The flower." He pointed at her and disappeared, the blur of Shikamaru hot on his trail went pass the shop's window.

She reached up, slightly above her ears and gently felt with her finger tips. The softness of a flower's petals caressed her fingertips, revealing the flower Naruto had unnoticeable placed in view for all of Konoha to see. "When did he…?" Unaware to her, a green set of eyes had watched the entire scene.

XX

Four had come, and sure enough as promised, Naruto was waiting for her at the door. Ino told him of her day as they walked to the Team 7 training grounds. After both stretched and warmed their muscles up with miniscule exercises, Ino took the Yamanaka's traditional family fighting stance facing Naruto.

Determined pale blue eyes settled on Naruto's relaxed ones. Two different ninjas with very different reactions to a training situation. She was tensed and focused, determined to give it her all. Naruto was the complete opposite. He was relaxed, his body slouched leaving him completely open and a humorous smile tugging on the corner of his lips, resembling that of a three year old who just been secretly told who was sneaking into the cookie jar.

"Your going to get hurt if you don't take me serious." Ino said irritated. Naruto just shrugged at her warning, "Ok, you asked for it."

With explosive force, Ino's legs pushed off the soft ground with a fist held high. She swung in a right hook, amazed at how he subtly leaned back to avoid the blow. The momentum carried her into a spin, lifting her leg up with the ball of her heel aimed for his head.

Her eyes widened as he caught her leg, "Oi, should you really be kicking so high with a skirt on?" Her faced turned shamefully red as she threw her body back to free her leg and spun around in a full turn while readjusting her balance.

"Pervert!" She lunged forward throwing a left punch. With relative ease Naruto caught her by the wrist and pulled her forward. Her balance slipped as she spun, her back slamming into Naruto's chest as his other hand grabbed her other wrist.

"How did you do that?" Ino asked, blushing madly as she felt the heat from Naruto's body warming her back.

"You're too tense." He replied.

"You had your guard down the entire time." She pointed out the fact.

He let out a chuckle, "Maybe, but then again, I'm not necessarily trying to stop you."

"Huh?"

"Imagine the flow of water. You can never stop it, but if you allow it to flow, you can control it. You flow and I control your flow." He released her wrists. She took a few steps away from him before going back into her stance.

Like a tiger eyeing prey, she analyzed him down to the smallest detail. His arms were at his sides loosely, yet he kept his hands opened with the fingers cupped together. His legs, just from the bagginess of his pants, seemed locked, but she knew he kept them slightly bent. _"His weight is evenly distributed between both legs. It won't matter if I go for a sweeping attack or not."_

She eyed his form again, going over every detail a second time, _"His front is open… no. He wants me to think that. If I go for his front, he'll just do what he did last time. Let's try something else."_

She jumped at him with her left leg forward and right leg back, a basic jump kick but still damaging if it connected. Naruto just stepped to the side while twisting his body sideways to avoid the kick. Soon as Ino landed, she twisted with a kick to his head only to have him block it with a forearm. He gave her a playful smirk that irritated her even more. _"The jerk is toying with me!_"

Hours had passed as the two trained with each other continuously. Ino was quite surprised. She hadn't had a sparring match with him since her genin days, and he was completely dominating her! While he wasn't as nearly as flexible and agile as she was, he seemed to easily flow with her movements and make minor adjustments to avoid being hit, redirecting them her attacks or outright blocking. It reminded her of a dance, except instead this time the guy wasn't the one leading.

He had yet to make an attack on her, much to her relief. Then again, his dodging was beginning to tire her out. At this rate, she was bound to lose just from exhaustion. "Who's style is this?" She asked as he deflected a series of punches then ducked a kick.

"It's a mixture of Jiraiya's personal style and frog katas. Minus all the offensive parts." He answered while as she threw another punch. He skillfully caught her wrist and pulled her forward, using her momentum while twisting to throw his hip into her and launching her onto the ground.

She effortlessly bounded back to her feet, "Jiraiya's? Frog katas? I've never seen Jiraiya fight but some of those moves look like they belong to Kakashi-sensei."

Naruto stood there with a grin and linked his hands behind his head, "That's because the pervy sage taught the fourth while the fourth taught Kakashi-sensei."

"Oh, that makes sense. So take it you learned frog katas during your travels?" She leapt over him with a flip and kicked out, catching him squarely in the back. Like a gymnast, he rolled forward and springboard off of his hands with a half twist, landing slightly off balance while still facing Ino.

"No. Fukasaku taught me them as part of my training as a sage. Couldn't remember the real name to'em so we call'em frog katas." Naruto said.

Ino gathered as much chakra as she could into her fist, and with nothing but a prayer and determination, she charged while throwing a wild punch with as much force her weary body could muster, "Catch this!"

Naruto slapped her wrist with his left hand, directing the punch away while his right foot crossed his left, blocking the path of Ino's own feet. His right hand shot out and loosely wrapped around her waist as she went by, guiding her body over his foot so she had no way of escape. His smile of success turned into a "yikes" of surprise as he felt a tug on his sleeve as Ino pulled him down with her.

Their bodies hit the grass in a roll as Ino's determined hand refused to let go. When they finally came to a stop, Naruto opened his eyes to find himself staring into a pool of cool blue. "Ino." He whispered, feeling her weight on top of him.

She had him pinned. She was straddled on his stomach with her hands on his wrists, firmly holding them to the ground. Her lips tickled with each breath he took, a sensual feeling of fire burned through her body. Her heart raced, pulse quickened and was sweating far more than she thought she should. She had never been in this position with a male, much less, one she had considered delicious.

"Looks like I win." She whispered in a sultry voice.

The genin gulped, "Yeah…"

"You wanted to train with me as a thank you." A strange gleam caught her eyes, one that Naruto didn't recognize. Whatever it was, it scared him, mostly out of the unknown it promised to bring.

"But I have a better idea. Everyone is meeting at that new bar tomorrow at 11pm, and you get to take me." Naruto didn't know what had happened. One second she was being seductive, next she was back to her usual self of ordering him around. "Oh, and try to dress nice for once."

She pushed herself off of him and started to walk away, a sway of victory was added to her hips with each step. He sat up and watched her, confused at everything that just happened, playing her words back. Once he finished processing what all she said, a thought had struck him, "What the hell's wrong with the way I dress?"

Both were unaware that the same pair of green eyes from the floral shop had followed them and watched everything that took place.

**A/N: I can't remember which fic had it, but I remember reading a fic that had a scene where Naruto had smoothly left a flower in Ino's hair without her noticing. I thought it was pretty imaginative and sounds like something a sweet ninja would do. If you own the fic with that scene, let me know so I can give you proper credit for inspiring me to "steal" that idea while adding my own twist to it. As always, read and review let me know what you think. There's bound to be more "training" sessions later on.**


	5. How Am I Supposed to Live Without You

**Chapter 4: How Am I Supposed to Live Without You**

Shikamaru yawned, having just woken up not to long ago. While he wasn't one to develop stressful habits, he developed the habit of seeing Kurenai and her baby, Asuma, everyday it was possible. Half of it was out of respect for his deceased sensei, half was out of guilt on failing to protect him, either way, they were family now.

He was about to knock on the door until a female voice called out. "Ino…" He groaned. Starting a day with Ino bugging him was not exactly what he called ideal. While he liked the girl as family, it took him several cups of coffee and two hours at least to prepare himself for her lively and bossy attitude.

"Hey Shikamaru!" She halted beside him, "So you came to see how Kurenai-sensei was doing too?"

"Something like that." He knocked on the door several times. After waiting impatiently for a half a minute, he knocked on it again.

"Maybe she's not home." Ino said.

The white door slowly crept open to reveal a familiar whiskered scarred genin. "Can I help you?" Naruto's eyes widen, "Oh hey guys. What's up?"

The cigarette Shikamaru had recently lit fell from his opened mouth, dumbstruck as to why Naruto was there, "What are you doing here?"

"Naruto?" Ino blinked in confusion.

"Kurenai asked me yesterday if I could come back and watch little Asuma while she went shopping."

"Oh." The two members from the former team 10 said in unison. Naruto opened the door to let them in and led them to the living room.

While Kurenai's apartment wasn't necessarily big, it had a homey feel to it. White carpet, white walls, a cream colored couch against the wall with a table in front, TV in the corner and a baby's crib near the child proof window. The kitchen was connected to the living room, making it one big room and seemingly bigger than what it really was. The tiles in the kitchen was an olive green and relatively new, thanks to Shikamaru and Choji remodeling it.

"Eh, hope you don't mind, but 'bout time for Asuma to eat." Shikamaru and Ino nodded as Naruto walked into the open kitchen that was connected to the living room and searched the cabinets. After a few failed attempts, he finally managed to locate some baby formula.

"Wait, since when did you know how to take care of a baby?" Naruto chuckled at Ino's surprised question. He poured the powdered formula in an empty baby bottle, measuring it with the accuracy one would've if they used a measuring cup. After filling the bottle with lightly warmed water and sealing it, he shook it for several minutes until the mixture was thoroughly combined.

He walked back into the living room to the crib, where little Asuma was standing by using the bars for support. His innocent, happy smile shined toward Naruto, as if the sight of him could make his day any brighter than it already was. Carefully he lifted the several month old baby and carried him to the lazy boy chair near the window and sat down.

To be blunt, Ino was awed at the sight. She never imagined that the loud genin would make great father material. "Wow Naruto. I'm impressed!"

"Well, I always did love kids. Considering I'll never have kids cause of the fox, I usually take care of my neighbor's kid or Kurenai's kid whenever I'm needed." Naruto carefully supported the bottle as the baby began to eat.

"Naruto." Shikamaru pointed at Ino, "She knows?"

"Wait, don't tell me you knew all this time and never told me!" Ino glared at Shikamaru.

"Troublesome." He muttered.

"Waaaaaaaaaaaah waaaaah!" The baby cried out. A powerful killer intent shot out from Naruto, his eyes narrowing onto Ino and Shikamaru, "Keep it down. Asuma hates it when people argue."

Like any caring father, Naruto began to rock the baby gently to calm him down, a sight that brought a smile to Ino. _"Forehead, you don't know what you missed out."_ She thought as the baby finally settled down.

"You'd make a great father some day." Ino complimented.

Naruto blushed, "Naw, I'm too busy with one thing or another. 'sides, with the fox present, doubt anyone would ever want me to father their kids."

Ino frowned at his words, _"I really wish he wouldn't put himself down."_

XX

Several hours had passed until Kurenai finally got home. She was amazed to find, not only was her apartment cleaned, but Ino and Shikamaru had apparently come over and helped Naruto out. Shikamaru more than willingly helped her with her bags and put away the groceries.

"Hey, Kurenai-sensei, you notice anything?" He whispered to her in the kitchen.

"Hmm?" The red eyed beauty arranged her cans in the cabinet.

"Couch." He pointed into the living room. Sure enough, out on the love couch was Naruto with the sleeping baby cradled in his arms. Beside him was Ino with her legs folded onto the couch and her head resting on Naruto's shoulder watching some movie.

"Is… something going on?" Kurenai looked at Shikamaru for answers.

"Not sure. Something definitely happened. Seems that Naruto had told Ino about the Nine-Tailed Fox." Shikamaru threw an empty plastic bag in the trash and began to unload another.

"Well, he does deserve some happiness I suppose, but I hope Ino knows what she's getting herself into. He may not seem it, but Naruto's pretty fragile."

"That's what I'm worried about. Ino's not exactly known to be the most sensitive person. But…" Shikamaru trailed off as Naruto carefully passed the baby to Ino. His arm snaked around to the top of the couch behind Ino and turned his body slightly so he could interact with the baby more easily. "Something definitely happened. Ino, last time I checked, never had the patience to put up with Naruto. Yet, today she's been a completely different person around him."

"Things change." Kurenai turned and leaned her body against the counter, hands gripping the edge for support, "Speaking of change. When are you going to propose to Temari?"

Shikamaru sighed, "I wish people would quit asking that."

XX

Knock. Knock. Knock. Tsunade looked up from her desk and then at the clock. Seemed that her six o' clock appointment had arrived ten minutes early, "It's open."

The door barely opened as Sakura slipped through, careful to shut the door behind her. She gave a curt bow and approached with caution, "You wanted to see me Shishō?"

"Ah, yes." Tsunade reached into her desk to pull out a manila folder, "You requested not to renew your license three weeks from today."

Sakura nodded, "Yes. I won't be able to juggle the hospital, marriage and the life of a ninja at the same time."

"Understandable. Here." Tsunade handed her the folder. Sakura's eyes brightened when she finally opened the manila folder. Placed neatly in it was a certificate of completion in the field of human anatomy and medical biology. It was one of her life dreams to receive her doctorate, and if that sheet of paper had anything to say about it, dreams did come true after all.

"Hence forth I'm no longer your teacher and you're no longer my student. You are hereby known as Doctor Haruno. Doctor Keinsly expects you at five in the morning. You'll be training to replace him in several years."

Sakura looked up, a mix of emotions flowing through her. Happy that she finally got her doctorate, saddened and confused that Tsunade had announced that their student teacher relationship was over. "What do you mean? I still have a lot to learn from you, Shishō. Summoning, recreation, slug jutsus, I haven't even learned my own elemental affinity yet."

"Sakura," Tsunade assumed her hokage poker pose and spoke with the calm intelligence that made her chosen as hokage to begin with, "you are giving up the life of a ninja to lead a life of a civilian. Every thing you just mentioned is things a ninja would need to know, not a civilian."

"What about Team Kakashi?" Sakura asked.

"Naruto is a genin, so he'll be required to stay on a four manned cell until promoted. Not that I'll be able to separate Naruto from Kakashi anyways. Kakashi was quite adamant about keeping him and Naruto together. I can't exactly remove Yamato either due to Naruto's nature, and Sai had insisted that he stay paired with Naruto. I guess as it stands, those four are stuck together."

Sakura was happy that her team would remain, in spirit at least, but frowned at the idea that they would be able to so easily continue when she was gone. Like a joker in a deck of cards, while she completed the deck, she wasn't required for it to function. "Will there be another medic-nin to take my place?"

"Currently I'm considering on pairing them with the second generation of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio if the mission is dangerous enough." Tsunade answered. Sakura frowned at the idea of Ino and Naruto together. If yesterday had said anything, things had apparently changed between the two blondes.

She didn't like the idea that Naruto was able to get over her so easily. Or so it seemed. His eyes, she noticed, had lost the shine she had given them. It had taken her years to finally get them to where they were before. But when he spoke to Ino… It was faint, but it was there.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, Sakura." Tsunade interrupted her train of thought.

"Um, I wanted to ask about Naruto. I saw him yesterday and he seemed so… different. I don't really know how to describe, but I can tell."

Tsunade contemplated on what to say. While she didn't hate the girl, she hated what she had done. She couldn't exactly go into details about the ordeal, last thing she needed was to put her on a guilt trip and make her go talk to Naruto about it and make things even more complicated. Yet, at the same time she couldn't turn and lie about it and let her think what she had done had no consequences, even if they didn't directly affect her.

"Sometimes we say things," She watched as Sakura's eyes widened in fear. It had seemed that the girl was still as perceptive as always, "and not realize just how much weight they carry."

"Yes, Sakura, I'm aware of what happened. I am also aware that you had told Naruto to stay out of your life. You're probably unaware of this, but Naruto held your word higher than anyone else in his age group. He will do as you ask, but until the Kage Summit is over, I want you to show him the same consideration." Tsunade said in a crisp clear voice.

She knew from that tone arguing was not only useless, but downright suicidal. Tsunade was protective of Naruto, and was not afraid to make anyone's life a living hell when it came to him. Naruto was first, Konoha was second in Tsunade's rule book.

But even with that sort of information, Sakura couldn't help but feel betrayed by the outlandish request. _"I didn't exactly mean for him to stay out of my life. I was upset! What else did he expect? And to bring Tsunade into this!"_

"Oh me and Naruto are going to have words about this. Who does he think he is?" She grumbled.

"If you have a complaint about it, I'm all ears. Naruto didn't make the request, I did. I want you to understand the situation, Sakura. This meeting will affect Naruto's life far more than it'll affect yours or anyone else's in Konoha. It will mean the difference in him being forced to become the ultimate weapon like my outdated advisors intend, or him leading the kind of life he deserves. Personally, I will not have you mess this up with your pettiness."

Tsunade's hard stare settled onto the retiring chunin, as if her eyes were looking past the flesh and bone and staring directly into her very soul, "If talks fall through because of you… I will take Naruto with me and leave Konoha. The village sees the boy as a hero, the old fossils stuck in the "glory" days see him as a "weapon", both will be equally pissed if he's gone because of your actions. Personally, I don't think you'd be able to survive everyone's hate like he was able to. Do we have an understanding?"

"Ye…yes Tsu-Tsu-Tsunade-sama." Sakura stuttered in fear, making a mental note not to mention Naruto around the hokage any time soon.

"You're dismissed."

XX

The bar was poorly lit, smoky and beginning to pack full of ninjas and civilians alike. The bar was quite spacious as far as bars were concerned, mostly due to its' history of once being a restaurant before the buyout. The bar was split into two, each section having a different colored carpet. Left red, right blue.

On the left side was a bar lined with red and black stools, usually the preferred choice of seating for older ninjas and those who just wanted a quick beer before leaving. Several tables lined the area near it, with chairs bolted to the floor and seats that swirled around in both directions.

The right half was completely different. There was another table area, except the tables were up high and instead of chairs it had similar stools as the bar had. The tables, unlike the left half, were square instead of round and made out of a finely polished wood.

On the half of that side was a dance floor, its' smooth, polished finished reflected even the dimmest of lights. Against the back wall, adjacent to both, the sitting area and dance floor was a raised platform for the musicians. And since it was karaoke night, only a large screen and a handful of machines were present.

At the very epicenter of the bar, standing on both colors of carpet were two pool tables. While most ninjas and civilians didn't bother with the sport much, Shikamaru and Neji enjoyed it. It required skill, mind and strategy, the perfect sport for the geniuses of their generation.

"Seven ball, corner pocket." Shikamaru pointed at his called corner with the cue stick before lining up with the cue ball. With careful aim and a steady hand, he lightly tapped the cue ball and sending it bumping into the seven ball and barely knocking it into the pocket. At this rate, he might actually make up on lost ground against Neji and beat him… for once.

A set of four tables had been pushed together for the large group of Konoha 11, surrounded by Choji, Shino, Hinata, Kiba, Lee, Tenten, Sai, Kakashi-sensei and his newest flame, the ramen girl from Ichiraku, Ayame.

"Yamato, Gai-sensei, Naruto and Ino are late." Choji noted, not paying attention that he spoke louder than intended. His mind were on his chips, everything else took second priority.

"Naruto's coming?" Shino asked across the table to the Akimichi heir.

"Oh, yeah." Choji thought for a second then went back to snacking, "Ino said she isn't giving Naruto a choice. She's dragging him or else."

Hinata giggled, "Oh Naruto-kun. He's not going to be too happy with that."

"While we're on the subject of Naruto, anyone else get that invitation from the other two from the former Team 7?" Tenten pulled out a folded white envelope and set it on the table.

The chips in Choji's hand fell and in the table, his mouth had a deer-in-the-head-lights look, "Uh oh."

All eyes at the table turned toward him. "You know something. Spill it!" Tenten leaned forward on the table to get closer to the Akimichi.

"Um, you better ask Shikamaru. He knows the story better." Choji pointed at said jonin.

"Normally I'm against retreating, but a tactical retreat seems to be in your best interest." Neji said. Shikamaru glanced at the Hyuga and then followed to where his gaze had rested. He grimaced when he saw half of the table staring at him like a lion staring at a giant slab of meat.

"Troublesome." He lit up a cigarette, calculating his chances of out running Kiba and Lee.

XX

"Come on, you don't look that bad." Ino teased the genin beside her.

Naruto let out a groan of disagreement. "But, what if we get into a fight or somethin'?"

"Oh you big baby." Ino pinched his cheek only to have a threatening glare sent her way. She was actually expecting him to show up to her house in his usual jump suit, but as always, he lived up to his reputation of being the number one unpredictable ninja.

A white, button up shirt that was left open in place of his jacket. A blue shirt underneath, a pair of tan cargo pants and some new white tennis shoes. Ino had never seen him out of his normal Shinobi attire, but then again, there was a first for everything.

She locked the door behind her. "Ready?"

"I guess." He slipped his hands into his pockets. While he was glad that he was invited to come to the bar, he was really never invited to any of their gatherings in the past unless it was just him and the guys, namely his fellow dead-lasters from the academy; so he was a bit curious about the sudden change.

"So how come you decided to invite me?" Naruto, figuring the blunt approach was the best approach, "You never bothered before."

Ino looked away, ashamed at the truth, "I told you I wanted to change things between us, Naruto."

Naruto shot her a disbelieving look, "I'm not buying it."

She bit her lip fearing his reaction. _"Well… I do want to change things between us. I guess, if I want to earn his complete trust, I better tell the truth."_

"Truthfully," She checked to see if he was paying attention, "the only reason why you never came in the past was because of me and Sakura, well… mostly me. I always told everyone I didn't want you to come. I always thought you were loud, obnoxious and would ruin my fun." She could tell he was slightly hurt by what she said, but she expected it nonetheless.

Lightly, she bumped him with her hip, "Relax. I was young and dumb back then. If I had known what I know now, you would've been the first person invited."

He stumbled a few steps before readjusting himself. "Now you're just dumb." he teased.

"Are you calling me old?" She shot him a glare, realizing what just been said and slugged his shoulder, "I'm not dumb either!"

"Jerk." She pushed him down playfully then jogged down the street, laughing as Naruto got up and followed in close pursuit with an equal laugh of joy.

XX

Lee waved wildly as Naruto and Ino entered the bar, "Yosh, Naruto-kun! Ino!"

The two waved and took two empty seats at the table. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow when he noticed the purple summer dress Ino was wearing, "Since when did you wear dresses?"

"What's wrong with my dress?" Ino beamed him a you-answer-that-question-and-you-die glare.

"Troublesome."

XX

To put it lightly, Kiba, Choji and Lee should be banned from drinking. Either that or make it a law that a camcorder was required to be present when the three got drunk. Kiba, Choji and Lee were on the stage singing horribly off key to some love ballad. Ino didn't recognized the song, but she swore she was going to hear about some song writer committing suicide on the news tomorrow if said writer happened to be in that bar that very moment.

"Ugh, and this is why we don't let Choji drink." Ino said.

Tenten nodded in agreement, "Lee too. Though, it could be worse." Tenten eyed Shino, "I heard about the last time you got drunk."

Shino deadpanned, "I swore to never drink again because of it."

Hinata giggled remembering the incident. "What happened?" Asked Naruto.

"Oh, if my sources are accurate," Tenten looked at Hinata who's face was red with laughter, "Shino, here, got drunk at Hinata's birthday party last year and mistook the Hyuga bathing house as a giant toilet while Neji was taking a bath."

Neji let out a grunt in clear disapproval. Unfortunately for him, the table didn't think so as everyone else laughed.

"Hey, Naruto, since they're done, why don't you go take a shot at it." Ino tapped Naruto's shoulder and pointed at the stage. Kiba, Choji and Lee stumbled off the stage and with their arms linked, made their way to the table.

"I dunno. I don't really sing." He watched as Kiba stumbled and hit the ground in a fit of laughter from a comment Choji made. What it was about, he didn't know nor care. All he knew was that he was glad he took a vow to never drink.

"Hey, come on, sing us something." Ino protested.

"Aw, come on Naruto. I want, just for once, to hear you sing, and not something ridiculous. It has to be serious." Tenten joined in on _Operation Get Naruto To Sing_.

"Please, Naruto-kun?" Hinata begged.

"Sorry looks like someone beat me to it." Naruto thumbed to the stage. All three girls turned to see a tall man, holding the microphone and scrolling through the songs.

"Oh, well your next then." Ino cheered happily as if he already he agreed to it.

"Pfft, yeah, I'll do it…" he smirked at Ino, "As soon as you give us a lap dance." Ino's face turned beet red as Hinata and Tenten failed horribly to supress their fits of laughter. A drip of blood came down Kiba's nose, the mental thought of Ino giving a lap dance was just too good.

"Troublesome." Shikamaru sipped his beer and turned to Neji, "Best four of seven?"

"… as you wish." Neji sighed and grabbed his cue stick. After winning the last three matches against the Nara heir, one would think he'd give up by now.

The song began to play, it was a soft keyed piano to start off the melody. Ino ignored the majority of the songs tonight… but not this one. Not if it was the song she thought it was. The singer started, his voice smooth and soft, almost like a whisper.

_I could hardly believe it _

_When I heard the news today I had to come and get it straight from you _

_They said you were leavin' _

_Someone swept your heart away _

_From the look upon your face I see it's true _

_So tell me all about it, tell me 'bout the plans you're makin' _

_Then tell me one thing more before I go _

At first she didn't think anything of it… until she noticed that Hinata was shooting a worried glance at Naruto. She turned toward the genin beside her, praying that she misread the look from Hinata…

_Oh no…_

He was quiet, too quiet compared to how lively he been tonight. His lips were locked shut, his eyes blank as he stared to the bottom of his beer bottle, as if it was somehow hypnotizing him into some sort of trance. But she knew what was happening. He was thinking… thinking of her…

"Even after all of this time… he's still in love with her." Ino whispered, unaware that Hinata and Kiba, only due to his feral senses, heard her.

"Who's in love with her? Wait… who the hell is her? I dun know a her? Do you? *hic*" He blurted out drunkenly.

"Kiba-kun!" An Hinata shouted in embarrassment from her teammate's lack of consideration.

"Huh?" Naruto snapped out of his trance. "Oh, sorry guys. Hey I gotta go. Got some things to do." He lied while jumping off of his stool. Ayame and Kakashi narrowed their eyes at the boy, both knew from years of experience on how to tell when something was bothering the jinchūriki.

Before he could take two steps away from the table, an unyielding tug on his arm prevented him from going any further, "No, you're not leaving. Not alone."

"Ino, what are you talking about." He turned with a wide smile. Though, his eyes told a different side of the story. Pain, sadness, the light it had carried almost vanished. She hated it…

"I hate that smile." She hopped off the stool and wrapped him in a hug, "It's okay if your hurting, I understand."

"I… haha come on Ino. I'm doing fine. Haha really! I just remembered that I promised Konohamaru I'd train with him in the morning." The nervousness from the laugh wasn't fooling anybody, especially Ino.

"Don't lie to me." She said with a heartfelt tone. She wanted to believe that she had his trust by now… but it seemed that trust was something Naruto was still having trouble giving.

"You… you wouldn't understand." He admitted in defeat, "You've never been in love before. It's different than when you were chas…"

Her fingers on his lips silenced him, "I know. But I do understand that you're in pain from your memories, and that's more than enough for me. So stay with us tonight…"

She pulled him back to the table and sat on the edge of her stool, her hand drifted onto his and refused to let go, "If you want to head home early tonight, we will."

"I don't want to be a burden." Hinata blushed from Naruto's tender tone. It was as if it was a scene from a movie about two long lost lovers finally reunited after a many hard trials, except the emotions she felt from the two actors were true and unrehearsed. What made her blush even more was the fact that neither Ino nor Naruto were aware of what was going on between them.

Hinata envied Ino, the way Naruto talked to her, acted around her, it was different than with everyone else. More open and tender, he was trusting her judgment, and if what she saw indicated anything, he had developed an emotional bond with her. Ino had become to him what she never could… a foundation of strength.

"_I trust you to help him, Ino."_

"You're anything but a burden. Tonight you'll sleep in my room and tell me everything." Ino responded with equal tenderness. "And for tomorrow...How about we go out to eat and just hang out. Just you and me."

"Hoooooooooooowl someone's gettin' laid tonight!" Kiba roared with laughter. The beer bottle that rocketed across the table and into his head was chakra enhanced.

"Oh Kiba-kun." A worried Hinata looked down to the unconscious chunin. _"When will he ever learn?"_

**A/N: Ah, to fall in love with someone only to have your heart broken. Falling out of love is harder than it seems, and from the looks of it, Ino still has her work cut out for her. Hope you enjoy it. And yeah, if you haven't figured out yet, I'm a sucker for romance. As always, read and review!**

**If anyone is curious, the song is "How Am I Supposed to Live Without You." Performed by Michael Bolton/Laura Branigan**

**Written by Michael Bolton for Laura Branigan**

**Both versions are awesome. Laura literally starts to cry whenever she sung it live.**


	6. Of Meetings and Lunch Dates

**Chapter 5: Of Meetings and Lunch Dates**

"Oh, the joys of being the daughter of the owner." Ino commented to herself as she let herself inside the house. "I hope Inari isn't too mad about taking off as soon as we open up." She let out a yawn, "After staying up all night with Naruto, I'm just too tired to go to work today."

She paused for a moment as her mind drifted back to last night, "Naruto…" Once they had returned from the bar, she pestered him about it until he finally opened up. It wasn't that she was curious, but that Naruto was holding so much emotional energy inside and the only way to release it was to talk about the memories causing it.

The stories she heard were nothing close to what she had imagined. Some were sad, some made her hate Sakura, some envious, and a few made her blush as they seemed like private moments. At the end of all of it, she found herself wishing she was in Sakura's shoes. _"Forehead, you really are an idiot. I'd give up my clan status and shinobi license just to have someone love me as much as Naruto loves you."_

She sat her bag on the table and let out another a yawn. The lack of sleep she got last night had definitely taken its toll on her. Within minutes she had a pot of coffee on and her personal mug on the table.

"Nothing beats coffee in the morning… except a shower." She reached over and turned the coffee maker off, and while humming a small tune, proceeded through the hallway and up the stairs. It was still early, about seven to be exact, and if she knew Naruto, he was probably still sound asleep on the couch. Reaching up, she unbuttoned her sleeveless vest and draped it over her shoulders. With the same practiced ease she removed her bra and pushed open the door to her bathroom.

Too tired to notice, a shocked and naked Naruto stood near the bathtub with a towel in his hands drying off his hair. "Uh…" He eyes were wide, his spine had a frightful chill running up and down with the rest of his body paralyzed with fear.

"Oh, hey Naruto." She said nonchalantly while throwing her vest and bra on the sink. She went to unclasp her skirt… then it dawned on her. She slowly turned her head, praying that her mind was playing tricks on her.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" She screamed as loud as she could.

XX

Naruto, with a fresh black eye, laid on the couch unhappily. Across from him, in the lazy boy chair, was a freshly showered and fully dressed Ino, "Hey, don't be mad at me. At least you got to see my breasts."

"Pfft, you got to see the whole package. I don't exactly call that fair." He eyed her accusingly.

"Could be worse." Ino winked at him, "It could've been the other way around."

"Erm."

"Well… unless you're secretly gay." She gave him a teasing smile.

"Huh? Hell no!" He denied energetically.

With a carefree bounce and hop, Ino plopped down into his lap, forcing an "Oof" to escape from his mouth. She wrapped an arm around his neck as if it was the natural thing to do, "Yeah, you're definitely gay."

"Oh really? What makes you say that?"

"Any guy would have a positive reaction to a beautiful girl such as myself sitting in their lap." Ino burst in laughter as his face turned beet red. "For a pervert, you get red real easy around girls. Or am I just that beautiful?"

She leaned forward and gave him a sudden kiss on the cheek. "What was that for?" He questioned with a blush.

"For being you. Welcome back to the land of the living. You had me worried last night. I was about to have a nervous breakdown over you."

The blush turned even deeper as Naruto's arm unconsciously snaked around her back to hold her steady, his free hand rested on her legs. "What are you doing?" He asked as Ino ran a finger through his golden locks.

"I was wondering why you spike your hair. It looks better like this." She answered. He let out a grunt, indicating that wasn't the question he had asked.

"Not that. This." He patted her leg.

She looked at his hand with an "Oh" and then shrugged. "Was to just tease you, but now I'm just too comfortable to move."

"Liar." He mumbled.

A series of coughs belonging to two different voices jerked their heads to the doorway. Inoichi and Kakashi stood there, a smirk plastered on Kakashi's face under the mask while Inoichi had an undistinguishable expression. Naruto didn't know if he was upset or angry or was raging with murder, either way, the miniature angel Naruto on his shoulder was telling him to scram if he valued seeing his eighteenth birthday.

"Ah, um… Mr. Yamanaka, Kakashi-sensei… I uh…pleasure to see… you?" Naruto said, his skin turning white with fear. He felt Ino just cling to him tighter, knowing full well what she was doing.

Inoichi coughed to clear his throat, "Naruto, why are your arms around my daughter? Better question, why is my daughter on your lap?!"

"I… uh… I can explain… I think?" Naruto looked at Ino, "Help?"

She let out a fit of laughter, "Sorry Naruto, but its just too funny." She turned toward Inoichi, "Daddy, we've gone over this before. I'm grown now. If he was taking advantage of me in any way I didn't want him to I'd hurt him. Besides, this goofball wouldn't know what to do if I stripped him naked with my teeth and gave him directions."

"Hime!" An embarrassed Inoichi roared while Kakashi let out a chuckle. To say he was embarrassed that his own daughter had said that was an understatement, but to do it in front of other people? Even worse!

"Come on daddy, it's Naruto! You can trust him at least, remember?"

"I suppose…" He trailed off, debating on if he should trust Ino or his father's intuitions.

"Good. Don't need you running off any more boys. You'll never have grandkids that way." Kakashi gave another small chuckle from the comment. He always enjoyed listening to a family he knew talk about a personal matter. You never knew what blackmailing material you could get.

"Eh?" The confused look Naruto shot Ino didn't go unnoticed.

"The last boy that used to come over, other than Shikamaru or Choji, daddy ran him off." Ino explained. She felt his body tense up under her, a reaction she figured dealing with nervousness.

"I… uh… why did your dad run him off?"

"Oh, you know how protective dads can get." She said with a smile. She turned to Inoichi, the smile disappearing and shot him an accusing look, "Some times I think he gets a little too protective."

Inoichi held up two hands in defense, "Now now Hime. I won't run Naruto off. I like him and if he's the one you want, that's fine. But no funny business!"

"Okay daddy!" Ino chirped merrily, happy that her father agreed with her. Naruto, on the other hand was confused and just looked on. The only thing he figured was that it involved him somehow, and he wasn't sure if it he should be worried or not.

"While I'd love to hear about your interrresting activities to see the boy squirm, I do believe we have more imporrrtant issues to discuss." A deep, unfamiliar male voice spoke up. The voice was smooth and with the exception of some rolling R's, it spoke quite elegant, as if the person was raised among the upper class.

"Daddy, is someone with you?" Ino hopped off of Naruto's lap and took the spot beside him.

"Kakashi-sensei, is that… ?" Naruto pointed to the doorway and looked at the one eyed jonin. The gray haired man nodded in confirmation. "You can come on out."

"Naruto, are you sure?" Kakashi eyed the teen cautiously. It wasn't that he didn't have trust in the teen, he was more worried about the reaction from the other teen.

"Yeah, it's fine. Ino knows about the fox." Naruto reassured.

A large cat, much akin to a tiger, stepped through the doorway. Its' fur was blue with black stripes and, like a flame dancing on a candle, seemed as if were alive and moving. Its' eyes were of different colors, one yellow and one green, and carried the harden gaze of a warrior who was no stranger to the battlefield. Like any tiger it resembled, it carried its pride in its' walk as it moved its' way into the room with soundless steps. What caught Ino's eyes the most was the two tails… Wait? Two tails? Since when did tigers have multiple tails?

"T-t-that thing has t-two tails!" Ino pointed out, immediately jumping to the other side of Naruto. "It's not a tiger is ? Just what the hell is that thing?"

The large cat let out a sigh of annoyance, "Yes, I have two tails."

"It can talk!" She screeched once more.

The cat looked up to Kakashi, "Can I eat herrr?"

"No!" Inoichi shouted without thinking. "I mean, Hime calm down. And you," He pointed at the biju, "no more jokes. You're scaring my daughter."

The cat let out a chuckle, "You sure know some interrresting people, boy."

Ino's eyes drifted from the cat to Naruto, "You know that thing?"

"This boy and a few others," the glanced at Kakashi in the corner of his eyes, "were the reason why myself and the other bijus were freed from Akatsuki."

"Oh…" Feeling a little more courageous, Ino decided to introduce herself. If Naruto and the large creature knew each other, then it had to be alright. "I'm Ino." Said the long haired teen.

The biju said, as if the mere conversation bored him, "With the exception of the One-Tail, we bijus do not botherrr to associate ourrrselves with petty words like you humans do."

"Meh, just call him furball, two tails, cat, blue, walking mouse trap, whatever you can think of as long as it fits'em." Naruto said as if it were no big deal.

"Ahem," The biju cleared his throat, "while I do enjoy a good talk. I do believe we have some business to discuss. Namely you're herrritage, boy."

Naruto's eyes widened in interest, "My heritage? But I already know who my father is…"

Inoichi looked at Naruto in surprise, "Wait, I thought no one was able to identify Naruto's parents."

Ino joined in, "You know who your father is and you never told us?"

Naruto grabbed Ino's hand and squeezed it, "I didn't know about my father until last year. But, Kakashi-sensei would never tell me about my mother."

"I had a discussion with the hokage, and we believe the time for you to learned everything is drawing near. You're going to need it for the Kage Summit." Kakashi informed. "Come to Tsunade's office next Tuesday."

"Why can't we talk about it tonight?" Naruto questioned anxiously.

"There's a few things that still need to gather that rightfully belong to you." Kakashi answered as he approached the teen.

"But…" Naruto protested.

A calloused hand ruffled his hair, "Relax. You've waited over seventeen years for this moment. Waiting one more week should be nothing." The look in Naruto's eyes told him he wasn't going to accept his answer until he at least got something to sooth over his curiosity. "I was waiting until the discussion, but I guess it won't hurt if I go ahead and give you this."

He reached into a small pocket on his vest and pulled out a golden round locket with matching chain, "This belonged to your mother."

Naruto gently took the locket from Kakashi's hand and stared at it as if he were looking a priceless artifact. As far as he was concern, it was. "Open it." Kakashi instructed. With nimble fingers he unhitched the clasp and opened the golden treasure, revealing a picture of his past on both sides.

Ino looked over his shoulder to get a better view of the pictures, studying each down to the smallest detail. First the red haired, vibrant green eyed woman with a wide smile she all too well recognized, "I see where you get your smile from at least." She noted outloud before turning to a more serious tone, "Your mother is very pretty." Her eyes drifted onto the second picture.

"Hmm? Hey… isn't that the fourth?" Ino pointed at the yellow, spiky haired male in the picture who looked like an older version of Naruto. He had sharper eyes and a narrower jaw line, but the family resemblance was unmistakable.

"Yes, Minato-sensei, the fourth hokage, was Naruto's father." Kakashi answered. Both Yamanaka's stared at Naruto in shock and awe, their mouth's slightly opened and eyes open wide.

"You're serious?" Inoichi's question was ignored by Kakashi.

"Kushina." The name from Kakashi almost went unnoticed.

"Huh?" Naruto and Ino said in unison.

"Your mother's name is Uzumaki Kushina." He repeated in a greater detail.

"Kushina…" Ino repeated the name and looked at Naruto to see what his reaction would be. The bright smile and the way his eyes lit up, she knew he was happy. Far happier than he's been for the past week.

"Next week, can Ino come as well?" Naruto asked, more focused on the locket than jonin. Delicately he closed the locket and, with Ino's help, clasped the chain around his neck.

"I was told to only bring you and the two-tails…" Kakashi knew the question wasn't really a question, it was more along the lines of Naruto informing him what was going to happen. Whenever it came to Naruto, arguing when the blond's mind was already made up was next to useless. Something he attributed to the boy's maternal side. He let out a sigh, "Tsunade's not going to like this..."

"Ah ha! Kakashi-sensei, you're the best!" Naruto gave his trademark smile. A Konoha forehead protector landed in the genin's lap courtesy of Kakashi. "What's this?" He queried while picking it up.

"The biju will be staying with you for the time being. As long as he's wearing that no one should ask questions. If they do, just tell them he's your new ninja pet." Kakashi explained.

"Now see here! I am not a pet!" Came the Two-Tails' offended reply.

"Well, if we're done here, let me grab my shoes and we can go." Ino chirped while bouncing off the couch.

"Go?" Asked Naruto. The two older males eyed the long haired teen with similar questions in their mind. "Yep! I got some errands to run then afterwards we are going to get some lunch."

"Can't we just go spar or something?" He protested.

He gulped from the threatening glare from Ino, "This isn't up for debate." Now he knew why Shikamaru had labeled Ino as 'troublesome'. A word he agreed fit the woman to a T.

"I believe I'll wait here for your return." The two-tailed strolled over to Inoichi's personal lazy boy chair and plopped down on it comfortably. The threatening glare shot to the two-tailed cat from Inoichi went ignored.

"Oh, that's too bad. The restaurant we're going to has some of the best steaks in town." Ino smirked with success as the cat's ears twitched excitedly. "But if you don't want to go…"

"I'll be outside waiting." The cat jumped off the chair, and with its' slow, prideful grace headed toward the front door.

XX

The majority of the meal had been good. Elegant soup, expertly baked bread and an exquisite tasting fish she had never heard of. All in all, Sakura believed she had found herself a new favorite restaurant. The experience was good for the most part, the only downfall was the uncomfortable silence the entire time from her fiancé.

"What about baby blue? I think the bridesmaids would look very lovely with baby blue dresses." Sakura suggested.

"Hn." Was his response. It was the only response he gave her every time she talked to him about the wedding.

"I really would like to know your opinion." Sakura sipped her drink.

"Baby blue is fine." He replied with a low-keyed monotone.

"Some opinion." She sat the fork down and stared at her fiancé, "You have to have some say in the wedding at least."

"Hn. Whatever you pick will be fine." Wasn't the answer she was looking for. She watched as he ate his food attentively. She felt a bit selfish, but it irked her on how he paid more attention to the meal than her.

"Do you love me?" She asked bluntly, the question seemed as if it came from left field and caught the Uchiha heir offguard.

He adjusted his gaze onto her, "Hmm?"

"I asked if you love me." She said crisply. Sasuke ripped his gaze from her and went back to focusing on his meal.

"Don't ask ridiculous questions that you already know the answer to." He replied. She never could get a straight answer from him. Every time she asked him that question, it was the same answer. She just wanted to hear him say it to her once during a normal conversation, not when she was stressed out or breaking down

"So, how many kids do you want?" She changed the subject.

"At least ten." Her eyes widened from the answer. She was about to ask him if he was serious until she remembered just WHO she was talking to. Sasuke never jokes. Ever.

"A little much?" She questioned with a raised brow.

XX

The sun was shining brightly, the sky was clear and a nice cool breeze was in the air. A perfect day for training… if Naruto had his way.

"Come on you big baby, it's over here." Ino dragged the reluctant blond with the two tailed biju at their heels. Throughout their entire adventure of Ino's errands, all eyes had been on them. Ninja and civilian alike had looked their way at least once, and some of the less thoughtful individuals just outright stared. _"Talk about rude. These jerks need to quit staring. I knew I shouldn't have offered to bring the furball with us. Idiot Ino, idiot!"_

"So what's this restaurant anyways?" Naruto asked. He was half tempted to just saw off his arm and give it to Ino. She seemed so intent on dragging him by it today, she'd probably never notice. Then again… it was a little drastic.

"A seafood and steak house." She caught the questioning look from Naruto. "I just eat the fish. Fatty beef is bad for my figure."

"Huh uh. So where is this place?" Seriously, his arm was starting to hurt. The sooner they got there and she quit dragging him the better!

"We're here!" She announced, dropping his arm and spinning around to present the building behind her like some sort of show girl. He rotated the once tortured arm to work out some of the soreness.

It was a mostly glass building with a blue shingled roof, a building Naruto recognized all too well. "Let's go eat somewhere else." He suggested as he tried to walk off. Ino quickly pulled him by the back of his shirt's collar.

"Where do you think you're going buster?" She said sternly while dragging him into the restaurant.

"I'm not allowed here." He informed as they neared the host's podium

"And why not?" Ino said sharply. Her mind formed a crazy scene involving Naruto pulling some elaborate prank on the building that resulted in his banning.

"It's because we used to be ingrates." A high pitched, masculine voice said behind them. Naruto and Ino quickly turned around to see a large, thin man with a bald head and a long, thin black moustache.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head. A sign Ino picked up from watching him that indicated when he was nervous, "Kyoji, I was just leaving."

The man, identified as Kyoji, bowed his head respectfully. "Uzumaki Naruto, I'm sorry about the way we mistreated you in the past. I never did get to properly thank you for saving us during Akatsuki's invasion. Forgive me. You're not a demon child, but a great hero, and it would honor me greatly if you and Miss Yamanaka ate with us today."

The man's eyes drifted onto the large cat with a forehead protector wrapped around its' neck, "Normally its' against the rules, but for you, your pet is more than welcome to eat here as well." The man sworn the large cat just scoffed at him.

"Really? Cool! Let's eat!" Naruto cheered.

XX

"Well, Mr. Hero, what'd you think?" Ino teased with the word the owner used to describe him. The restaurant, as far as food establishments were concerned, was ordinarily designed. Wooden chairs and tables were lined up in rows throughout most of the place and angled in a way that allowed everyone access to the table. The music, in the fashion Naruto described it, sucked. He was never a fan of elevator music.

However, while everything else was plain, the food was top notch. "You're right. This fish is great!" Naruto tore into his fish and salad like a starving pig.

"Chew and swallow first, talk second." Ino scolded. She cut into her salmon and took a small bite.

"What didja call this?" Asked Naruto while chewing another bite.

"Food." Ino pointed at him with her fork, reminding him to finish chewing before talking, "And it's tilapia." While the food had been as good as always, her mind mostly been on recently learned facts.

"Your father is the fourth…" Ino started. She was curious about the situation, but at the same time, she didn't want to offend Naruto. Last thing she needed was a fiasco happening, "Was the one who sealed the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox into you." Naruto sat his fork down and nodded.

"How do you feel about it?" Ino asked. Probably not the wisest thing she should've asked, but the question would keep bugging her mind until she got an answer.

"Honestly, I was mad at first. But once I managed to sit and talked to Kakashi-sensei about it I understood why. If I was in his shoes and knew the things he knew, I probably would've made the same decision." He explained.

"Why did he choose you?" Ino's interest was peaked. When he told her of his burden, she felt that there was more to the story than the fourth being desperate to stop the fox. This only confirmed her suspicions.

"Uchiha Madara." Came the Two-Tailed Biju's response from below them. Ino peeked beside the table to eye the large cat gnawing on a steak.

"I was made a jinchūriki for a reason, and not just to seal away the fox. It was to protect Konoha from Madara." Naruto explained.

"So, now that I answered your question, how about you answer mine?" He asked.

"And that is?"

"What exactly do you look for in a guy?" Ino felt her heart race when he asked that question. The way he asked her so seriously, it was as if he put some thought in it.

She sat her fork down and rested an arm on the table. Deciding to have some fun at the jinchūriki's expense, she playfully said, "Oh, and why do you want to know? Afraid the"perfect" guy might come up and steal my attention from you?"

Naruto shook his head quickly in denial, "No no no, don't get me wrong. I was just curious! Ya know, get ta' know you better."

"_Liar!"_ Ino thought. "Hmm, the perfect guy. Cute. Oh definitely cute. He'd have to be kind, courageous, very sweet and knows how to have fun. He has to be good with kids too. I don't want some cold fish who'd leaves me stuck with the family while he goes out to play all day. Oh…" She added her most seductive voice for the last one, "and good in bed."

She swore Naruto turned ten shades of red, "You get so bashful when people talk about sex." She teased with a small giggle. "Ok, so my turn to ask you a question. You ever been with a woman?"

Thump! The chair Naruto was leaning back in fell over, taking a nose bleeding Naruto with it. Looks from around the near empty restaurant were being sent their way. "Ino! Don't you think that's a little private?" Naruto readjusted himself and the chair.

"Oh come on, it's not that private." She teased him.

"Well, how about you?" He countered, trying to throw her own question at her.

"All the way? No, but I've gone to second base before if you know what I mean." She winked, causing a slight blush to tint his cheeks.

"So how about it?" She asked, "You never did answer my question."

"Ever been laid? No, but I did get Sakura's top off once." He answered truthfully. Now THAT bit of info she did not know about him. Just exactly how far did Naruto and Sakura go?

"Oh really? So who's breasts are better?" She challenged. Regardless of how childish it was, what it was about or how menial it was, everything about her and Sakura was a competition. And she'd be damned if she lost in a competition against her when it came to their bodies.

"Well, you're both perky, and your's are a little bigger…" He trailed off, _"Time to put the nosy blond in check."_ A mischief smirk tugged at his lips, "But I can't give a final judgment until I run you through a thorough hands on investigation."

_Checkmate._

Ino sat there dumbstruck, unable to think of a response as the fork slid from her fingers and hit the floor. It took her a few minutes before she finally realized that she had just underestimated Uzumaki Naruto and paid for it.

"You got some blood coming from your nose." He teased her.

She took her napkin and wiped her nose, _"Oh you jerk! You're not the only one who can play that game." _Ino began to form plots of revenge in her mind. "This could be fun!" She chirped.

"What could be fun?" The meaning behind her words were lost on him.

"Oh you poor boy." The Biju stood up with a stretch. His head turned toward Ino, "Be gentle when you break the lad in."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" If looks could kill, the Two-Tailed Biju would be dead.

XX

"Are you sure this is the right thing to do?" Kakashi approached the Hokage's desk. Tsunade stood at the window staring at the city below, lost in thought as she contemplated the future of Konoha.

She turned toward the jonin and eased herself into her personal chair, "This is strange. Your record for following orders is questionable, but you've never been one to out right question a superior's judgment. Least, not out loud. This must be serious."

"I feel its' best if we wait like the third and Jiraiya had planned. If we tell him next week before the Summit, I fear it could be too much. He doesn't need any more on his plate than what he has now." Partially, she agreed with Kakashi. But still…

"I'm announcing Naruto as my future successor after the summit." Tsunade announced suddenly. She had hoped to keep that little detail to herself until the talk, but it couldn't be helped. She needed Kakashi's support on this decision. Legally she could play hardball and pull rank. But it was a silent mutual agreement between the two that anything concerning Naruto would be discussed on an equal level.

On one side was the surrogate grandmother, or mother if she was allowed to lie about her age, and the other was the surrogate uncle, sensei and the only link left alive between Naruto and his parents. Neither would be happy if a decision was made about Naruto's well being without the other's knowledge.

"I realize I'm speaking outside of the lines when I say this, but what does Naruto knowing his lineage have to do with you announcing him as your future successor?"

"In a sense, nothing, and yet, everything. You still haven't found Kushina's whereabouts have you?" Tsunade eyed the jonin carefully, waiting for some sign to indicate what he was thinking. However, he kept his dull expression on like a mask that could not be removed.

_"That's what this is about…"_ Kakashi thought. "No, her whereabouts are still unknown."

"When we announce that Naruto will be my successor, we will have to announce the truth about him and his lineage. If we do that before we tell him about Kushina…" Tsunade was cut off by Kakashi.

"You rather tell him the truth first and let him decide on what to do without the village putting pressure on him. To search for Kushina or take on the role of your successor." Tsunade only nodded. The man was perceptive, she had to give him that. "I gave him his mother's locket and told him her name."

"You what?!" Tsunade blurted out with her hands slapping the table, "We had an agreement!"

Kakashi nodded, "Yes, but I knew Naruto would be restless if I didn't tell him something. From the way he reacted, I don't think you have much to worry about. If this was Naruto from four years ago, I'd agree that you should be worried. However, whether we want to admit or not, Naruto has grown up. He sees a picture much bigger than him, much bigger than us, and possibly, bigger than Konoha."

"Peace…" The elder woman said in near whisper.

"He won't put himself before others. He never has." Kakashi's expression picked up, his interest in the next subject evident in the tone of his voice, "Now… is there something I should know about Naruto and the Yamanaka heiress?"

"Let's just say Sakura has passed on Naruto and it seems that Ino is interested." She heard a small chuckle escape from Kakashi, "Something funny, Hatake?"

"I figured as much when I received Sakura's wedding invitation and saw Ino sitting in Naruto's lap this morning. I was imagining my pupil's reaction when she learns the truth about Naruto, considering her reasons for picking Sasuke over Naruto."

"I don't agree with her reasons, but most young girls do tend to dream about marrying some wealthy, prestigious male with good lucks. Most girls tend to grow out of that dream by puberty and rather marry for love. Sakura just isn't one of them I suppose." Tsunade said as a knock was heard on the door. "Enter."

The wooden door creaked open to reveal Hyuga Hiasha, his expression as serious, "You wish to see me Hokage-sama?" He entered, silently closing the door and approached the desk and gave a respectful bow.

"Once Yamato has arrived we'll begin the meeting concerning the security of the Biju's until the summit. I trust your clan will be up to the challenge?" Tsunade eyed the pale-eyed noble as he bowed once again with acknowledgement.

"With honor, Hokage-sama."

**A/N: Dinner dates are much harder to write than I thought. Hope I did a good job at it. So… Naruto finally learned his mother's first name and now knows what she looks like. I bet he can't wait until he and Kakashi has that talk. I'm also considering doing a side story within the story depicting Kakashi's unofficial search for Kushina. Drop me a review and what you think of the idea.**


	7. Sakura's ReasonIno's Decision

**Chapter 6: Sakura's Reasoning/Ino's Decision**

**In which Ino deals with inner turmoil…**

The room was cold with silence as four individuals waited patiently for the arrival of their last guests. Kakashi stood to the right of the Hokage's desk, his hand holding onto a book of the latest Icha Icha Paradise series, written by Naruto, but found himself lacking the will to bring himself to read it. His mind was too distracted with more important things.

Beside him was Shizune, who stood in a relaxed posture with books and folders held closely against her chest. She wasn't required to be at the meeting, hell, normally she'd rather be back at the hospital dealing with her usual six o'clock medical class. But this meeting was important as it concerned the bijus, and anything related to the bijus were usually related to jinchūrikis. She wouldn't miss this for anything incase it included Naruto in some detail. After much coaxing and bribing, much to the dismay of Hiashi as it was a meeting he felt that the less that knew about it the better, Tsunade finally agreed to let her attend.

In the chair beside Shizune, leaning with one elbow on the desk and a hand holding a glass of saki sat the Fifth Hokage, Tsunade. She ignored the glare being sent to her by Hiashi and Shizune and stared at the door intensively, as if doing so would force their final guests to come walking through any moment. Chugging her glass of saki, she sat the glass down and refilled it to the brim with the half full bottle to her right.

The disapproving cough from Hyuga Hiashi went ignored as she took another sip. Shizune said nothing, as she expected. The girl agreed to let her drink for a week without any form of protest, hiding her saki, or telling the bartenders to cut her off. She'd have to 'agree' to let Shizune attend more private meetings if this was reward it came with.

Hyuga Hiashi stood at the side of Tsunade's desk, opposite of Kakashi, and watched disapprovingly with each sip Tsunade took of her alcoholic beverage. He was calm and still, his posture straight as a board and chin held high with arms at his side. Even if he wasn't wearing the finely crafted kimono, if anyone were to walk into the room and told to point out the noble, they'd have no trouble singling him out.

Inwardly, he was a different story. While it was rare for security details concerning the hokage to be discussed in front of other people due to liability issues, what struck him odd were the fact that they had already discussed the security plans for the kages during the summit. His mind processed what sort of topics this meeting was going to approach.

He knew it concerned the bijus, that was a given. But something wasn't adding up. If he remembered his history correctly, bijus were powerful demons of pure chakra. To simply go against one was suicide unless you were a powerful shinobi, had the required abilities to counter the biju's powers, and had an ingenious plan. Lacking any of the three guaranteed death.

He had heard that the Two-Tailed Monstrous Cat was staying with Naruto and walking around freely. An idea he didn't particularly like, but regardless, it was how things were. But if the Two-Tails was free to roam, then surely so were the others. Then why would Tsunade need his clan to guard the Bijus? Much less, wouldn't his clan be in extreme danger if they were to approach such powerful creatures unchecked?

His head turned to the right as the creeked door open. In walked a large, blue and black tiger with two tails and Yamato, the latter holding a large, metal container. From the sweat on the man's forehead and his slightly red, determined face, Hiashi had to guess that the container was quite heavy. Kakashi walked over to Yamato and helped him carry the large, square container to the desk and sat it down gently as Shizune got the door.

Hiashi turned his gaze onto the large, two tailed tiger, _"His chakra is similar in nature to the Nine-Tails… no mistake about it. He's the Two-Tailed Monstrous Cat I've heard about."_ He thought while eying the cat with his byakugan. _"Surely Tsunade jests when she says a creature with this much chakra needs protection." _

"I'm glad you managed to join us, Yamato." Tsunade said as she stood up from her chair and reached for the container's lid. "I called you all here to discuss the arrangements of the bijus. I'm sure you're aware of the Two-Tails staying with Naruto, but that leaves five others defenseless until the summit."

"_Five? Not counting the biju beside me and the two sealed in the remaining jinchūrikis, there should be six in total…"_ Hiasha thought with suspicion.

With help from Kakashi, Tsunade unlocked the container's three electric locks and dispelled two prevention seals before finally removing the heavy, gray lid. With a loud thud it dropped onto the desk causing it to vibrate from impact, rocking the closed saki bottle off balance and onto the floor.

Curiosity got the better of Hiashi as he leaned forward to peak inside the container. Five large, white oriental style paper lanterns were strategically held in the box surrounded by a fur lining. Each lantern had four seals on top, each a design he never recognized. Swirling seals covered the four corners of the tops, each seal was surrounded by what appeared to be carefully placed smaller symbols painted with an ink infused with chakra. Inside the lantern was a chakra crystal held in place by a metal clasp. Though each crystal shined a different colored and radiated varying degrees of chakra, the nature of the chakra left no doubt that it was the bijus.

"These are the Bijus?" Hiashi questioned, already know the answer. Tsunade nodded in confirmation. "I've never seen such a sealing method."

"Its' an ancient method from Suna, courtesy the Kazekage." Tsunade explained.

Hiashi kept his eyes on the lanterns; if the man was in awe, he didn't show it, "Excuse me for asking Hokage-sama, but if these containers are capable of holding the bijus, wouldn't it be safer to have the Two-Tailed Monstrous Cat sealed away as well?"

The biju scoffed at the comment, "Who do you think taught you humans how to crrreate seals to begin with? While such a powerrrful sealing method is ideal for containing us bijus, someone of my experrrtise could easily undo it."

Hiashi knew the creature wasn't boasting, it was stating a fact about its' abilities he wasn't aware of. "Forgive my rudeness." Hiashi bowed politely, "I meant no offense. I was just concern about your safety until the summit."

"In any case, the two-tails is allowed to roam the village freely. He'll be staying with Naruto to help keep the fox in check." Tsunade explained as Hiashi turned toward her with a raised eyebrow. Tsunade pulled open a side drawer and pulled out a shattered jeweled necklace.

"That is the First's necklace…" Hiashi said in disbelief. "Then this must mean that…"

Tsunade held up a hand to stop him, "I wouldn't worry too much about details, but know this; without the necklace, Yamato's ability to suppress the fox is greatly hindered so he'll require aide if things go too far. Now, onto more pressing details. Kakashi?"

Kakashi placed his hand on the container and turned his attention to Hiashi, "Normally we would store the container in the vault, but we fear that it'd be the first place anyone would look if they were to search for the bijus. We would like it if you allow us to hide the container away at the Hyuga compound. Not only will it be safely guarded around the clock by your clan, but should anyone enter Konoha seeking the Bijus, they would never consider searching one of the clan compounds.

"_I see. When she asked if my clan was up to the challenge of guarding the bijus, she meant by this."_ Hiashi thought as he worked out the details mentally about what was being asked of him. The job posed a risk to his clan, and though he was willing to accept it, he couldn't help but worry about the genins and non-shinobi of his clan. If trouble comes their way, they could be harmed. Perhaps it was time to schedule an unplanned vacation for those who's safety was at a greater risk.

Then there was the container itself. At first he was confused as to why they chose an old fashion container over a state of the art sealing scroll, but once he looked at it with his byakugan, he understood why. That container wasn't made from some ordinary steel. It effectively concealed the bijus' chakra, and the container seemingly all but disappeared when he looked at it with his byakugan. Anyone looking for it would be better off playing detective than relying on their jutsus.

It was a blessing and a curse. How was his clan able to keep tabs on it if it concealed itself so well? If someone did manage to find it and take it, they would need some sort of way to track it. Unless…

"I'll allow you to choose which of your clan will be protecting the bijus, and I'll give them S-rank pay." Tsunade threw out that little bit of information, breaking Hiashi's train of thought.

"Forgive me, Hokage-sama, I wasn't debating on taking the job or not. My clan is more than willing to accept the task." Hiashi broke his silence, the statement causing Tsunade to give him a questioning stare.

"But…?"

"I would like to make a modification to the container." Hiashi started. The comment raised suspicion around the room, but decided to squash their reasons by expanding on what he meant. "I've noticed that the container effectively hides the chakra, even from my byakugan. So I propose we add a small seal to it that'll emit a small dose of chakra at fixed intervals. This will allow us to track the container even if its' been removed."

All heads in the room turned to Tsunade, silently waiting for a response. Hiashi's proposal was sound, and none found any fault with it. While the small chakra might alert any sensory type shinobi's to its' presence, they would more than likely pass on it unless they were hunting for the container and knew about the seal. And if by chance the container was removed for any reason, any decently trained Hyuga would know about it through their bloodline.

"How soon can you add the seal?" Tsunade asked.

"The seal won't take long to do. Master Fui is quite skilled." Hiashi stated. Tsunade knew of the man's high standards, so for him to consider anyone 'skilled' spoke well of their abilities.

"See to it." She said.

"If you don't mind," Yamato held out a closed fist for everyone to see, then slowly opened it. In the palm of his hand was a large seed, roughly the same size of a dime, "With your permission I'd like to place a tracker seed in the container. It'll last up to three days, and I can use it to track the container anywhere in the country. Nothing against Hiasha-sama, just consider this an added security incase the seal is removed."

Tsunade nodded, "The security of the bijus is of the utmost importance. If either of you believe you can add any form of protection, then do so. Just be sure to leave a report with me containing the details."

"Milady," Hiashi spoke up, garnering everyone's attention, "I realize this is probably off topic and you're more than likely aware of this, but one of the bijus is missing. Unless I'm miss counting somewhere, there should be a total of six bijus in the container."

Tsunade's eyes widened in surprise and quickly looked in the container, counting each one over and over again and coming to the same conclusion. Her head snapped toward Kakashi, "I thought you said you had retrieved all of the bijus!" Her loud voice rattled the walls.

Her frustration was evidence as Kakashi had hoped to inform her of this little detail at a later date, "We did. When Suna and Konoha retrieved the bijus in their joint assault on Akatsuki Headquarters, we secured all of the missing bijus."

"Then where is the One-Tails?!" Tsunade's body was tense as she fought back the urge to snatch Kakashi by the vest and launch him through the door. Heaven knows the jonin deserved it. This was information she assumed he would've told her about months ago!

"It has been returned to its' jinchūriki." Kakashi explained. Tsunade's anger disappeared, replaced with solid mask of seriousness.

"Very well then." She narrowed her eyes at Kakashi, "Next time you consider hiding such information from me, I'll make sure you're doing D-Rank missions for a month."

The threat didn't even phase Kakashi. His dulled expression seemingly got under her nerves, "I hear Anko had made several D-Rank requests that have yet to be taken." That threat however…

Kakashi cringed at the mental image of him mowing Anko's lawn as she was throwing shurikens at him. As if dodging the shurikens was bad enough, he pictured the lawn filled with many poisonous snakes he never heard of and traps that would send anything less than a chunin to the hospital. Yeah, anything that involved Anko was beyond menial, and should be an automatic A-Rank with the option of ANBU protection.

He ignored the muffled giggling from Yamato and Shizune, as both failed miserably to hide it. Across from him he could see an amusing smirk stuck on Hiashi's lips. _"Oh you bastard. You're enjoying this."_

XX

It was late in the evening as Ino finally finished closing shop. She felt bad about ditching on Inari earlier this morning, so showed up shortly after her lunch with Naruto and relieved the over worked girl. For one reason or another, Ino was rather drained. The day wasn't that busy, but it seemed that everything she did took extra effort. Then again, her mind wasn't exactly focused so it came to no surprise when things took longer and seemed harder than it actually was.

At the turn of a key, and with a satisfied tug on the door to test the lock, Ino began to make her way home. Her mind drifted off to her time with the blond haired boy. _"I can't believe how much fun lunch was. I need to drag him out to eat more often."_ She thought, as her mind drifted from the lunch date and onto deeper matters.

"_Kushina and Minato…"_ Naruto was always a mystery, one that for the longest time she gave no thought about. Many girls liked the mysterious guys, and she had to admit, he was about as mysterious as they come. Everyday it was as if she learned something new about him. Things that Sakura knew long before her. A fact that made her envious, as Sakura had noticed the puzzle box long before she did and began to unravel it, even if the pinkette was unaware of it herself.

"_Ha, I bet Forehead never knew who his parents were."_ She thought with a victorious smile. The fact that she unraveled a piece of the puzzle before lifetime rival filled her with pride. Yet, her reasoning for smiling at the knowledge of knowing his parents changed as she thought up another fact surrounding it. Naruto had felt comfortable enough to entrust her with that knowledge. She couldn't understand why, but it seemed to fill her with joy, as if a thousand butterflies were flying around in her stomach and she had just been officially pronounced the world's most beautiful kunoichi at the same time.

"_Naruto versus the old Sasuke. Sasuke had looks, and still does."_ her mind pushed an image of her former crush alongside the spiky haired blond, begun to compare the traits, _"He acted mysterious, highly skilled and had that bad boy attitude. And then there's Naruto…"_

She turned the corner, too lost in thought to notice Sakura down the road waiting for her at her house. _"He's kind, funny, caring and while Sasuke acted mysterious, Naruto is mysterious. There's still so much about him I don't know. And his skills are far beyond what most people can even comprehend. If he ever… no, WHEN he gets married, he'd treat his wife right too. Be there for her, help her, walk through life with her at her side instead of out in front."_

She thought amusingly, _"While Sasuke was the guy every girls daydreamed of, Naruto was the kind of guy every girl eventually wanted to end up with."_

"Hello, Ino-pig." Ino blinked at the familiar voice, finally realizing her surroundings. She was already home, and standing there was Sakura.

"Hey Forehead." Ino greeted. She tilted her head in confusion, "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk with you." Sakura said bluntly. There was a familiar tone in Sakura's voice that alerted Ino that Sakura wasn't there for a friendly chat. "I wanted to find out how was he doing."

"He?" It took her a few seconds to realize just who Sakura had meant. "Naruto?"

Sakura nodded, "I saw the two of you the other day at the flower shop, and then followed you to the training ground." Sakura admitted shamelessly. It wasn't that she felt pride about eavesdropping, it was the completely opposite. Just something about the whole ordeal bugged her. Something had happened to her former teammate, and she feared she was the reason behind it. Tsunade's talk only confirmed her fears.

"Oh…" Was the only response Ino could think of. Her mind processed the various scenarios as to why Sakura would bother eavesdropping on them, but came to no clear conclusion.

"It's just like before." Sakura said, catching the blonde's full attention. She knew Ino didn't quite understand what she meant, but she could tell by the softness in the woman's eyes that she didn't have far to go until she did, "Back when we first became Team 7, Naruto used keep everything bottled inside and never let it out. If something was bothering him, you would never know. He just hid it behind that wide smile and it took me a long time see through it and see how much pain he was in. Pain we, as a village, caused him."

Ino stood there silently and listened. She lightly bit her bottom lip to steel herself as her rival poured into the heartbreaking subject they never discussed. "You know the truth about his burden, don't you?" She heard Sakura say, jumping off subject. Wordlessly she nodded in confirmation.

"He probably told you. I'm jealous. I had to snoop into his medical files when he was on his trip to get the truth." Sakura revealed to her, "I wanted to talk to him for so long after I found out about it. Then one night…"

She heard Sakura pause. If she had to guess, it was probably to get her emotions in check. Sakura had always been an emotional person, "he confirmed everything. He was upset over Gaara and I kept on getting onto him for rushing ahead. Then he told me… he told me the truth, that he and Gaara were the same. For the first time since I've known him, my eyes were finally open and I saw just how much pain he was in."

A small, warm breeze blew through between them, blowing Ino's long bang into her eye. She studied the woman's lithe form, noting the heaviness she carried with her as the green eyed woman closed her eyes in thought. "What are you getting at?" Ino decided to cut the chase. Though, she was grateful to at least now have some insight as to what went on between Naruto and Sakura.

"He's hurting, isn't he?" Sakura said softly.

"_So that's what this is about…"_ Ino shook her head, not out of denial, but out of disbelief that she was having this sort of conversation. Sakura knew damn well what the answer was, so why did she have to come to her about it? "After what you and Sasuke said, what do you think?" She replied sharply.

Sakura's eyes widened with realization, "He must've told you." She said, pulling her gaze away in a down trodden manner. She felt small and fragile at that moment in time, as if she were a twig amongst a strong gale. But she had to know… this scene had to play out and whatever truths she finds, she will accept it.

"No," Ino said "I overheard the entire thing. I won't lie to you. What you said to him… you held his heart in your hands and crushed it in the worse possible way. When I found him, he was broken, just a shell of his former self. He was sick for days, some times it seemed as if he lost the will to live. And when he slept, he cried your name out profusely trying to apologize, hoping to end the nightmares. He's just now beginning to get better, but it's still there. Still in the back of his mind haunting him."

Ino saw her words hit home as tears began to form in the corner of Sakura's eyes, "I know." She heard the pinkette say in a sorrowful voice, "I was an idiot. I was upset and not thinking straight and Naruto didn't want to see things my way. I know he was just trying to protect me…"

Ino nearly gasped when Sakura's teary green orbs locked onto her pale blue ones. She could see it all; pain, guilt, sadness, a whirlpool of emotions of a woman who made an irrational decision and is paying the price of a shattered friendship.

"It can't end this way… No, not like this." Sakura said firmly.

"The only one who can make that decision is Naruto." Ino said, keeping a warm tone in her voice that radiated with her strength and conviction. She had decided that if Sakura wasn't going to be the strong one here, then she would have to be strong enough for two of them. "Naruto's the kind of guy to look pass the faults and past transgressions of most people. Knowing him you're probably already forgiven."

"I know, but it'd make me feel better to hear it from him himself."

Ino's eyes flashed into a hardness, all expression changing to a more serious nature, "I'm not trying to be cruel, but right now Naruto doesn't need the added pressure of a girl who's feeling guilty on his mind. His life is changing, for better or for worse, and he needs to be strong for the incoming hurricane he's about to deal with. Adding you to the mix will make it that much harder and could end up breaking him."

"You've changed Ino." Ino had to agree with Sakura's assessment. She hadn't thought much of it, but she had. "If I were to go back in time and tell your thirteen year old self about how thing's have changed between you and Naruto, I'd probably be called a liar."

Ino silently agreed. It wasn't until after Naruto returned from his trip with Jiraiya had he started to earn her respect as a shinobi. And it wasn't until she finally found him broken and learned the truth of his burden had she given into the idea that perhaps her original assumptions of the loud genin were wrong.

What began through a guilt of eavesdropping mixed with pity and concern, turned into admiration and eventually into a desire. A desire to meet, not the ninja called Naruto, but the Naruto who had hid himself behind a lie. The true Naruto he had only shown to the few he felt secure around.

"You're still in love with him, aren't you?" Ino gave her own assessment. Seconds had passed as she waited for a response, but all she got was silence. And in that silence, she received her wordless answer, "I see. Then can you tell me one thing at least?"

Their eyes locked, an emotion in Sakura's teary eyes shone above the guilt and sadness that Ino regrettably recognized; fear. A fear that she rightfully had, because she knew Sakura already knew what she was going to ask, and part of her regretted not letting it go. But this was something she had to know, "Why did you choose Sasuke over Naruto if you're still in love with him?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Try me."

With a heavy heart, Sakura began, "Sasuke offers so much more than Naruto does. Naruto's poor, like me he's clanless, and he's been marked for the rest of his life by his burden. You've seen the way his life has been. If we were to marry and have kids, would I have to endure that? Would my kids?"

"But things have changed. Now people see him as a hero!" Ino argued.

"I know," said Sakura, "But that doesn't stop them from calling his humanity into question. Even if people cheer his name, in their eyes they still don't see him as a human. To them he will always be a jinchūriki first, and Naruto second. An outcast of humanity who walks between the demon's world and our own. It sickens me to the core to think about it, but it's true."

She continued. "But can you fault their conclusion? He has no ancestry, no clan or bloodline limit to identify his origin. He's labeled as an orphan, a curse and in some countries he's classified as a living weapon. Even now, with everything that's happening to him, everything that's changing, he's still considered a weapon."

Ino hated to admit it, but she understood where Sakura was coming from. The village had no knowledge of the truth, so one couldn't blame them for their way of thinking. If things had been different, if she hadn't stumbled upon him on that rainy night, she would probably think the same thing as everyone else. Well, if she had known about his status as a jinchūriki in the first place.

But that wasn't the case. Like Sakura, she now sees Naruto for who he really is, but unlike Sakura, she wouldn't let insecurities dictate her way of life like she used to when she was younger. So what if he wasn't considered human by some people? So what if he was poor or was on the bottom of the list in society. Wealth and status didn't mean happiness. Her father's failed marriage was proof of that.

"And Sasuke?" Ino queried.

"Sasuke is part of the Uchiha Clan-" Sakura began.

"-who had their nobility stripped from them." Ino interjected.

"It can be regain." Sakura reasoned, "His life is stable now, and highly he's respected**-"**

"-by civilians only." Ino once again interjected.

Sakura nodded. She didn't like to admit it, but Sasuke wasn't popular among the ninjas now. Uchiha anything left a bad taste in the mouth of most of the older ninjas, "-by civilians, yes. He's rich, good looking, he's ambitious and I love him."

"Like you love Naruto?" Ino couldn't tell if Sakura ignored her or didn't hear her clearly, either way the pinkette continued to list her reasons.

"I can live a safe and peaceful life with him. I won't have to worry about receiving a letter explaining how my husband has died in some far off place, or fear for the safety of my children because of circumstances they can't control."

"Does he make you happy? When you're sad does he comfort you? Does he go out of his way to make you feel special? Does he make you laugh whenever you're angry? Does he love you back? If you can honestly say yes to all of these questions, then I think you made a right decision. But if there's any doubt…" Ino said forcefully without giving Sakura a chance to answer.

The heaviness between them suddenly became near unbearable. Sakura opened her mouth to speak, but Ino quickly silenced her with a raised hand.

"No, don't answer yet. Just think about what I said. As your best friend I care about your well being, and I don't want you to make any mistakes you'll regret. So think about those questions, and after the Kage Summit give me an answer. If its' yes, then I'll support you and Sasuke to the bitter end."

The door to the Yamanaka household opened and Inoichi's head stuck out, "Oh, thought I heard some talking." He opened the door more widely. "Hello Sakura."

Inoichi's gaze turned toward Ino, "Hime, are you still planning on going to Naruto's tonight?"

"Yes daddy." Ino replied, catching a quirked eyebrow from Sakura.

"Okay, just making sure. If you're wanting to eat before heading over there's dinner on the table. You're more than welcome to eat with us, Sakura." Inoichi said giving off a fatherly warmth.

"I'm okay daddy. I just want to grab a shower and a movie before I head out. I told Naruto I'd cook him a home made meal for once." Ino said.

Inoichi nodded, "Okay sweetie." He disappeared back into the house, leaving the door slightly opened.

"I told Naruto I'd come over and cook dinner and we'd sit down and watch a movie." Ino explained. She saw the questioning look, "Don't worry forehead. I don't have any feelings for him. He's going through a lot of stuff right now and needs someone there for him."

She didn't know who she was trying to convince more, her or herself.

XX

An hour later she found herself in front of Naruto's small apartment. She been to his apartment twice in the past, both times because of Shikamaru, and she never quite understood why he choose to live there. It was a run down building, with a board or two dangling off the nails and an old, chipping paint job. It amazed her on how the city officials never bothered to fine the supervisor of the complex until he fixed the place up.

Her mind, on the entire way over to Naruto's, kept on drifting back to her talk with Sakura. And this was no different. It seemed Sakura had come up with more reasons not to be with Naruto than reasons to be with Sasuke, which she was a bit disappointed in. She agreed partially with Sakura's reasoning; a life with Naruto would be rough.

But everything else she disagreed with. When Sakura mentioned status, she had half a mind to tell Sakura who Naruto's father was and it took her nearly all of her will to hold her tongue. Of course, the promise of losing Naruto's trust played the biggest factor in it.

As for wealth, Naruto may have been poor, but that didn't matter. Her clan was rich and she could easily retire if she wanted to and live out her days at some expensive resort. The flower shop was just a hobby her father developed. Wait… when was she a part of this?

"_Well, he is cute."_ The thought amused Ino.

Her small hand rasped onto the front door in quick session. After a few seconds her teammate and one of her best male friends appeared in the door.

"What are you doing here, Ino?" Shikamaru questioned suspiciously.

Ino quirked an eyebrow, "I could ask you the same thing."

"Me and the guys came over for a game of cards." Shikamaru answered while letting her in. His eyes drifted to the movie in Ino's hands but decided not to question her about it. Last thing he needed was to embarrass her and feel her wrath.

Ino saw, in the center of the living room was a large round table surrounded by six bodies. Each with a blank stare as they, holding their cards and tossing colored chips into the center of the table.

Neji, Choji, Kiba, Sai, Naruto and Gaara were surrounding the table, sitting equal distances from each other, minds focused on the game at hand. Wait, Gaara? "What's he doing here?" Ino pointed at the young Kazekage.

"We decided to take a week off until the summit." Came a familiar, proud womanly voice. "We just got in tonight."

Ino turned to the open kitchen to Temari leaning against a counter with a cup of tea in her hands.

"Long time no see." Ino greeted as she and Shikamaru walked into the kitchen.

Ino turned her gaze back to the table. Behind Gaara was a monkey made of ink signaling Sai which cards the Kazekage was holding. Kiba apparently noticed the monkey and was watching as well out of the corner of his eyes. Suddenly a burst of sand erupted behind Gaara and grabbed the monkey by the neck and silently dragged him down, choking the ink out of him.

Unbeknownst to Sai and Kiba, above them was a floating eyeball staring at their own cards. Neji glanced at it, then turned his threatening gaze to Gaara that wordlessly warned him that he'd ignore the eyeball as long as he kept it from his own cards. Naruto, on the other hand, had his head under the table trying to bribe Akamaru into helping him cheat.

"Tch, ninja poker." Shikamaru commented.

Ino shook her head at their silly antics of using underhanded tactics to cheat. If only Iruka could be here to witness this. "So who's winning?" She kept her eyes on Naruto with a keen interest.

"Neji, at least until they find out he's been using his byakugan this entire time." Shikamaru answered.

Apparently having such a prestigious bloodline limit had more benefits to it than just fighting and scouting. Ino wondered if Tsunade ever thought about taking Neji to the casino with her. With Tsunade's expertise and Neji's byakugan, they would rule the card tables. Scratch that, Tsunade would get drunk at some point and cause a fight or Neji would insult someone and they'd be thrown out into the streets. Becoming a card shark with Tsunade and Neji was a BAD idea.

She watched with a curiosity as Naruto turned to Gaara and entered a quiet conversation between them. It seemed to be a harmless conversation, one that held no significance, but there was something about it that only she seemed to notice. The way Naruto acted toward Gaara was different than anyone else.

There was no mask, no lie, and any pain he had, had shriveled into a near nothingness, replaced with a genuine smile that brightened the room. This was the real Naruto, the one she had been searching for since she had learned the truth. She had seen glimpses of it, but she never imagined it was like this.

This morning and their unofficial lunch date had proved that there was a chemistry between them, even if Naruto didn't notice it. And her talk with Sakura released any doubts of Sakura coming back and reclaiming what once may have been hers. And now this…

Any inner turmoil she had an hour ago at such a prospect vanished. She sat the movie on the counter beside Temari, and with a determined grin, began to make her way to the table as Neji laid down his hand, causing everyone to let out a groan of defeat. A seductive sway unconsciously entered her hips as she approached her target. Her prey.

Sakura may have passed on such a prospect, but she wouldn't. Not when the stakes were so high and first place prize was just too tempting to ignore.

"_Sakura may not want to be a part of it, but I do. Starting tonight, consider yourself taken."_

**A/N: Probably my longest chapter to date. Now that Ino's made up her mind, let's see where it takes her. While Naruto's not stupid, he's never exactly been the brightest crayon in the crayola box when it came to women. Just ask Hinata. Poor Ino's about to go through hell trying to court Naruto. Wait. Can a lady court a man? Meh… it's Naruto. Anything unorthodox is bound to happen whenever he's involved.**

**Thanks to Winter's Eye for reminding me which fic had the original scene of Naruto slipping a flower into Ino's hair. If you can, please check "Melody of The Fox". It's the least I can do since they came up with such a neat idea that inspired me. Kudos for your wonderful imagination.**

**I plan on taking this fic through many chapters so hope everyone brought their popcorn and used the restroom. Because once we leave, there's no stops on this trip until we get there! Also, I've noticed a lot of people mention tormenting Sakura. Personally I see her as a smart, talented and emotional girl who made mistakes (in this fic's case a big mistake). Oh and some of you mention that this story is AU. It is and it isn't. This story is taking place one year after Nagato's attack on Konoha. Everything else after that is AU.**

**Read and review and tell me what you think. Got an idea? Add it in the review. If its' sensible and I like it, I might use it with all credit of the idea going to you (please avoid character bashing ideas. There will be no throwing Sakura in a volcano. Sorry.)**

**Almost forgot. I still don't have a beta. So if anyone's interested drop me a message.**

**Whoops accidentally numbered this chapter 7. *takes some white out and writes 6 on it with a sharpie* I blame that typo on congress, because as the author, I'm clearly not liable for the mistake...**


	8. Detective Kakashi

**Chapter 7: Detective Kakashi**

**In which Kakashi makes a startling discovery...**

The blistering noon sun hung in the clear blue sky, pounding the humid village with its' rays of heat. Many had often made comments about Ino's choice of clothing, but days like this she couldn't help but laugh at the irony. Everyone else wore thick pants and long sleeved shirts and sweated relentless from nearly every pore on their body, she on the other hand felt fine and unlike most people, she enjoyed hot days such as this.

With a slight skip in her steps and humming a small tune slightly off key, she strolled through the streets toward Naruto's apartment.

"Ah, Ino-san, a mighty fine day." She heard Might Guy call out to her right. Sure enough, there he was walking out of a store with a bag of groceries.

"Guy-sensei!" Ino waved energetically, "How are you doing?"

"Wonderful." He replied as Ino took notice of various bread and celery sticking out of the bag.

"You cook?" She queried, tilting her head slightly like a confused puppy.

A prideful twinkle shone in his eyes as he cast his infamous sunset jutsu, "Cook?" He stuck his chest out and held his head high with his free hand firmly held on his waist, one of his many infamous poses he was so known to strike, "I'll have you know they call me Konoha's Green Beast of Chefery!"

"Is that even a word?" Ino deadpanned.

"Of course it is!" Guy said defensively before giving a definitive humph, "Shouldn't you be out training with your team? It's a good day to not waste doing nothing."

"Actually, I wanted to spend my day with Naruto." Ino spoke truthfully. Silently she was thankful that guy didn't read into what she had said.

"Oh. Well, if you're heading to his apartment you won't find him. He and Lee went to the lake."

Ino's ears perked at the word lake. "_Hmm even better than being at his apartment"_ She thought as a mental image of ambushing a shirtless Naruto. "'kay!" She chirped merrily, "I'll see you later Guy-sensei, and thanks."

Guy watched as the girl turned in her tracks and went the other way, skipping with an even more noticeable bounce in her steps, "Odd girl."

XX

Kakashi sat at his favorite booth at the local Ichiraku Tsukemen Bar, eyeing an old, thick book with countless records from the previous decade neatly arranged. On the other side of the bar was Ayame, with an elbow on the counter and chin resting in her palm. Her eyes were on the jonin as he studied the thick book like a detective in one of those mystery movies she saw, just scanning every detail and thumbing through the pages with a near total silence.

"Kakashi-kun, what are you looking for?" She questioned.

While their age difference, that of nine years, had worried Kakashi a bit (along with it being one of the many reasons why he refused Ayame's advances in the first place), the two had eventually became an item. Teuchi played a role in getting them together, constantly dropping hints that he supported the idea of them being together, even going as far as inviting him over to their house so he could talk with Ayame. Though, truthfully, Naruto was the biggest reason why he had taken to Ayame's advances in the first place.

The genin had changed him in more ways than he ever cared to admit. He taught him that if wanted to honor the memories of those he loved, then he would have to live his life to the fullest, a life they were denied of. Taught him to open up again, to value peace, to value his own life, and more importantly, to value the family he had gained when Team 7 had formed.

The bond with Naruto was indeed that: family. That bond sparked the notion that perhaps it was time he did move on in life, and perhaps settle down. That was when Naruto had set him up on a blind date, who had turned out to be Ayame. It was after that, and a few dates later, that they had finally agreed to start seeing each other.

Things were still going slow between them, mostly due to his insecurities from his pain filled past, but he had never been more happy in his life. They were polar opposites in many aspects, yet at the same time, they held a common ground toward many things. However, one thing that shone out above all else that set them apart was her curiosity. The girl would prod him about anything and everything until he spilled whatever secret he was keeping from her.

"Oh, nothing dear." He replied casually as he flipped to another page, unaware that another set of eyes were on the page and reading everything he was reading.

"Those are the bank records." He heard Ayame. He looked up to see the top of her head as she had her eyes glued to the pages in his book.

"You mind?" He asked dully. He went back to the book and picked up where he left off, finally coming to the name he had been searching for. Taking a yellow highlighter, he marked the name and the list of numbers beside it, each representing a month and year and account balance.

"Uzumaki Kushina…" He heard Ayame read out loud, "Wow, she's loaded."

"Do you mind?" Kakashi repeated once again, slightly annoyed.

"Aw, but c'mon Kakashi-kun." Ayame pouted, "Besides, what's so important about her anyways? According to this record she's been dead for nearly eighteen years."

A light bulb flicked on in Ayame's head as she put two and two together. There had only been two Uzumaki's in Konoha's history, so it would only be natural for anyone with common sense to come to such a conclusion. Kakashi sighed as he saw the look in the woman's eyes and looked around to make sure the coast was clear.

"She's Naruto's mother, isn't she?" The way Ayame presented the question reminded Kakashi of a school girl finding a note in her locker. Excited and unable to control her emotions with the occasional loud shriek that guaranteed deafness to any poor soul within a ten yard range. Begrudgingly he gave a small nod, causing the girl to give the high pitch squeal of joy he was dreading.

"What's this about Naruto's mother?" Came Teuchi's voice from the back.

Kakashi let out a sigh as the older man stepped into the front with a towel on his shoulder and a chef's knife in hand, "I'd rather if you two kept this down. There are some things about Naruto that's still considered classified."

"I'm just glad that there are some records on the boy after all." Teuchi said proudly.

Ayame nodded in agreement as both, she and Teuchi saw Naruto as a member of their family. To find out anything about the blonde genin's past would be considered major news in Konoha. It was one of Konoha's biggest mysteries after all.

"So, if she's dead then why are you snooping into her bank records?" Ayame questioned.

"No one is sure if she's dead." Kakashi explained, receiving a pair of "huh?"s. "She disappeared without a trace shortly after Naruto was born."

"And you're looking for her?" Teuchi concluded. "Come to think of it, I do remember a Uzumaki Kushina. Vibrant young girl, with pretty eyes and dark red hair. Quite the tomboy I'll say. She used to hang out with the Fourth Hokage all the time. So much in fact that many people suspected that the two were having some sort of affair. Mind you, nothing was ever proven."

The suspicious look Ayame shot Kakashi sent a chills of fear down the one eyed jonin's spine. She had seen pictures of Minato, and with the revelation from Teuchi, she was beginning to finally understand the hidden secret behind Naruto. "What's Naruto's real last name?" She narrowed her eyes in a threatening manner, arms folded across her breasts with a spatula in hand and foot impatiently tapping a dent into the tiled floor.

"Well, look at the time." Kakashi said hurriedly while looking at his left wrist.

"You're not wearing a watch." Ayame pointed out sharply, sending out a strong killer intent toward the legendary jonin.

"Places to go, people to talk to. I'll stop by your house later tonight." Kakashi quickly shot from his stool and bolted from the restaurant.

"Get back here!" Ayame shouted as she began to wave the spatula wildly in the air, "We still have some things we need to discuss! Hatake Kakashi you coward!"

XX

Ino crept quietly through the brush as she neared the lake. Knees bent, hands gliding across the trunk of a tree as she stealthily passed by. She wanted to catch Naruto alone, and Lee were there, it would only bring suspicion to her motives and run the risk of starting a rumor in the village that could ruin her self imposed mission before it even began.

She came to the last tree and poked her head around to get a clear view. The area was wide open, encircled by rows and rows of massive trees leaving less than twenty yards of space between the pristine blue lake and the forest. Not too far off, lying in the grass was a set of bodies and one large cat she recognized.

"_Shit, is that Gaara? Not good._" She panicked when she caught sight of the red haired jinchūriki. Naruto may have been dense about many things, particularly when it came to people and his surroundings whenever he was relaxed, but Gaara was a different story. He may have the personality of a stump, as Chouji put it once, but he was extremely sharp when it came to his senses and was on constant alert. Whether it was out of paranoia or he was just that good of a shinobi, she hadn't a clue, but either way he could easily detect her if she made even the slightest of mistakes. Luckily, the conversation they were having wasn't exactly hushed so she wouldn't have to do much to over hear what they were saying.

"Yosh, I want to become the greatest taijutsu master in Konoha! No, the world! I want to prove to people that anyone can be anything if they work hard enough at it." Lee said enthusiastically a little louder than he needed.

"A nice dream." Gaara said with his usual monotone, his gaze focused on the slow drifting clouds up above.

Lee turned to Naruto, "You've been quiet the entire time, Naruto-kun."

Slowly, Naruto closed his eyes and inhaled the crisp clean air deeply, "Sorry, been thinking."

"About?" Lee asked the obvious question.

"Naw, it's stupid." Naruto replied in a dejecting manner.

Lee shook his head, "To not say what's on your mind is stupid. There's nothing more youthful than being honest."

"He has a point." He heard Gaara's monotone voice from his side.

"Two against one, so unfair." Naruto playfully pouted. His blue orbs revealed themselves, and gazed into the sky with a hand reaching up, "I was thinking about the Kage Summit, and about the possibilities that could happen. If things go right, maybe, just maybe we'll no longer be seen as weapons. Maybe people will start to recognize us as humans. It excites me to think about such an event happening, but at the same time, it fills me with fear. What if talks fail? I could continue to live as the world sees me, but what if because of the summit, things go for worse and we're forced to live as the weapons people believe us to be?"

Ino was struck by his words, the honesty Naruto was speaking toward his fellow jinchūriki made her a bit jealous, as she secretly wanted him to talk to her in such a way as well. But his words had also caused a wave of sadness to flow over her heart. She had learned that his secret plagued him, that he secretly feared what people thought about him and his curse, but even now, hearing it again still made her want to wrap her arms around him and protect him from the vicious world. A sudden strange and random thought struck her, one she should've realized from the moment she saw him, _"What the hell? Lee knows about it too? Am I the only one that didn't know about his secret this entire time?"_

A small grunt escaped from Gaara's lips, a subtle hint that loudly alerted the others of his disapproval, "If talks fail and we are still considered weapons, than so be it. The world has long since been ignorant toward our kind, but even so we'll prevail. We always have. But, even still, after this even they will acknowledge our humanity."

Naruto silently agreed and closed his hand as if he were grasping a cloud, "To live as a human. It almost seems so surreal…"

"I don't quite understand it all, but if it makes you two feel better, I think you're both human." Lee blurted out. "What you are doesn't determine if your human, it's what you do and how you act toward others. At least, that's what I believe."

"Thanks… Lee." Naruto said in relief, while Gaara remained silent. Though, Naruto could tell just by looking at him that he had felt the same as he did toward Lee's words.

"Now that that is off your chest," Gaara spoke up, "Don't you think it would be polite to invite that Yamanaka girl over?"

"Eh?" Ino froze from her position behind the tree while her heart raced what seemed like a thousand beats per minute. If any doctor was present, they'd swear the poor girl was suffering a heart attack. Beads of sweat dripped down her forehead as her breath slowed on reaction due to her shinobi training, praying that she hadn't been caught and Gaara had only mentioned her in the passing.

"Oi, what do you say Ino? You gunna come over?" A familiar, raspy voice from behind startled the girl.

"Ah!" She screamed at the top of her lungs and shot straight up in a spin with her fist flying out from instinctual reaction. Pow!

"Ow!" Naruto yelled in as the right hook sent him barreling backwards and into a bush.

XX

Tsunade eyed the passage Kakashi had highlighted, "What exactly am I looking for?"

"Check the year after Kushina was announced dead." Kakashi pointed to the book. "There were two substantial withdrawals from her account. The first one was made by the third to create an account for Naruto to be used when he was old enough to leave the orphanage."

"And the second one?" Tsunade asked, puzzled as to what was being shown to her.

"I'm not sure. But it's at the maximum limit that can be withdrawn without being flagged."

Tsunade thought for a few minutes at the facts that had just surfaced. Her eyes drifted onto the name once again, "Only Kushina and the hokage have the authority to approve such transactions. And we've already determined that the Third had set aside part of her money for Naruto's use."

Her eyes drifted further down the page, noticing something seemed rather odd, "Hmm…"

"Is there something wrong?"

"There are two accounts under Naruto's name, except one was made when he was only six years old. Judging from the history on the newer, second account; I would say its' the one Naruto's using." Tsunade assessed as Kakashi walked around the desk to get a better look, "See this amount?"

Tsunade pointed to a small, four figured digit in the second account's fifth month of activation, "Its' the allowance the government gives to anyone in the orphanage program and under the age of 16 and not a registered ninja. See here?"

She pointed at another, much larger number seven rows down. "It's his account balance at the end of his first year as a genin. This number at the end represents his total amount of money he's deposited over the year. The number to its side is the total amount he's withdrawn over the year. Beside that is his total balance. The fourth number is any extra withholdings from the government such as taxes and finally, this number here represents the final balance of the year."

"I will admit that this is rather fishy, but how does this connect to Kushina's account?" Kakashi watched as her finger glided to the first account and stopped on the second to last number, which was the withholdings.

"Honestly I'm not sure, but what I am sure is that someone is stealing from both of Naruto's accounts with false withdrawals. The original account, which according to his record, is labeled as active and being regularly withdrawn from with tri-semester property taxes. From the look at the numbers, one would assume he was living in a manor or clan compound."

"Naruto lives in an apartment." Kakashi informed, piecing together the pieces of the puzzle Tsunade handing him.

"Yes, however, they can't do the same to the second account as Konoha already taxes Naruto for his apartment."

Kakashi stroked his chin, "I see."

"Furthermore, on the second account each deposit Naruto makes it takes a hit under the guise of a mission tax of seventy percent." Tsunade held her finger under one of the numbers indicating the amount of the tax hit with a symbol beside it to show which taxation it represented.

"Hmm, correct me if I'm wrong, but Konoha collects the tax as a deductible when they sign over the mission payment, and it is to never exceed more than fifteen percent of the total payout." Things were beginning to finally add up to him. The reason why Naruto had always been so poor wasn't because of poor management skills, but because someone had been stealing from him the entire time. Someone who obviously had a grudge against him.

"Right. Now here's another shocker. Technically such actions wouldn't fall under my jurisdiction since the Fire Country's banking system falls under the Daimyo and his administration…" Tsunade drifted her index finger to the largest tax hit placed on the original account, one that even surpassed the tri-semester false property tax.

"Is that a clan tax?" He asked, only to receive a "Yes" from Tsunade, "But a clan tax is unique only to the hidden villages."

"Yes, and because of it, we no longer have to file a report to the Daimyo's banking administration, which would've taken up to a month before they finally start an investigation, and instead run our own investigation." Tsunade leaned back in her chair with a smirk, obviously proud of her detective skills.

"Falsifying government taxes, stealing from a shinobi, falsifying one's nobility status as a clan and tampering with government documents, those are some serious charges." Kakashi listed the major offenses he had recognized, "Ones that could land someone in jail until their hair turns gray."

Kakashi rubbed his chin through his mask, "Do you think it's possible that whoever removed that money from Kushina's account is the same person who locked Naruto out of his original account and is stealing from him all this time?" He watched as she bobbed her head up and down in confirmation.

"Any idea who runs the bank?" Kakashi asked. He never bothered much with the bank. Everything he did was direct deposit so he was an irregular there. It wasn't that he was lazy, but because every time he step foot in there they made him remove his mask. But with this, he was more than willing to make an exception.

"The Hyuga's run the bank." Tsunade informed.

"Hiashi is a grade A ass, but he's no criminal." Kakashi said in the man's defense.

"Agreed. But I'm willing to bet someone working for him has no trouble breaking the law. They've been doing it for nearly twelve years and we're just now finding out about it?!" Tsunade slammed her fist into the desk, splintering the area of impact. "I want the bastard who's doing this chained and in my office ASAP under federal charges. If he resists, you have my authority to use lethal force."

"I'll stop by the Hyuga Compound and talk to Hiashi. For some reason, my gut feeling tells me there's more to this than what we're seeing."

"_Things would probably go quicker if I make a personal appearance at the bank, but if I start throwing my hokage powers around carelessly, people will start to get suspicious and run the risk of exposing the connection between Kushina and Naruto. Having Kakashi investigate this matter with Hiashi should make everything appear as if it were ordered by the Daimyo himself. Only problem is Kakashi, as he's not as experienced with the political side of matters as Hiashi is."_ Tsunade thought as she felt a warm, autumn breeze gently wrap itself around her. She turned to see Kakashi gone and a window nearby wide open.

She smirked as a thought crossed her mind, "_Then again, Kakashi is one of the best for a reason, and if the matter involves Naruto, he's been known to get quite passionate. If he explain things to Hiashi, I'm sure the two of them will pull through while keeping everything under wraps. I almost feel sorry for the poor bastard whenever Kakashi and Hiashi finds them."_

XX

Clouds of smoke blanketed the sky, choking the life from anyone and anything that breathed its suffocating fumes. Blood and charred flesh filled the nostrils of the black clad ninjas that scoured the burning village with their bloody ninja-tos poised to attack. A woman screamed in the village as one of the black clad ninjas plunged his blade deep into her chest, and with a twist, violently ripped it out to let the dying body slump to the crimson stained grass.

"You find'em?" One of the ninja's spoke to a much large, heavier set ninja. Unlike the others, the heavier set ninja wasn't carrying a ninja-to, but a massive clever like blade with a broken tip.

"No." The heavy set ninja responded with his gruff voice.

"Perhaps they've already moved'em?" The smaller of the two ninja's thought out loud.

"Hey! You two! Pay attention! Two of them are escaping!" Another ninja, their leader, called out as he removed his blade from a farmer's throat. With a flick of his wrist, he swung the blade to the side to remove the excess blood off of it. He then lifted his blade and pointed toward the forest as both ninja's followed the blade to the target it was aimed at.

In the distance, running on an often used visible path was a young, bloody woman with a small child in her arms. "Well? If you two weren't too busy yapping she wouldn't have gotten away!" The ninja scolded as another villager charged him with a pitchfork. With relative ease, he ducked the triple pronged tip and grabbed the shaft with his free hand to bring the villager toward him with added momentum and plunged his blade deep into his abdomen.

"Sorry boss." Both ninja's said in unison before taking off toward the two escapees.

As he dropped the lifeless villager to the ground, he gazed over the burning village with a sinister smile hidden beneath his black mask. "Keep up the work boys!" He called out to his men, "We will not rest until we have those bijus in our grasp!"

The screams of women, men and children filled the air as he let out a sinister laugh, "Ha ha ha soon my men, very soon. When we have completed this mission, and he will turn us into jinchūrikis, into gods!" The door to the house on his right burst open with an elderly lady fleeing the fires of her house in panic. With a slash of his blade, a crimson blast erupted from the elderly lady and splattered all over his garb, "Gods who will rule over the shinobi world!"

**A/N: Well, I'm sure some of you have been itching for some action. Next chapter will contain plenty of action as the first real villain of the fic will be introduced. And for some reason, I have no idea why, but I can totally picture Kakashi snooping around a dark alley in a trench coat with a pipe trying to find clues to some mystery. So if Kakashi could be Naruto's version of Sherlock Holmes, would that make Yamato, Watson?**

**On another note, I agree with you haretikers, a fic about Tsunade and Neji going on a gambling trip does sound fun. If anyone feels up to writing such a comedy fic, feel free, just try and keep it in character as much as possible, as Neji's jackassery makes him hilarious in such a serious way. Send me a message or leave a note in the reviews if anyone plans on writing one so I can read it and can leave a A/N for people to read your story.**

**Whether you want to set it in the Eavesdropper universe or your own is up to you, either way I'm sure everyone will love it. Oh, and a friend of mine, Azeeza, alerted to me on AIM this morning that she had drew my FFXI character in a... um... a very questionable gettup that any sane warrior should not be wearing. I'll post the link on my profile if anyone is curious and feels like pointing and laughing at the pain my warrior must go through. Seriously, I'm beginning to think I should just reroll Red Mage so I can get the pimp hat and become immune to my LS mates' desires to draw crack pictures of my character. Then again... I've seen my warrior drawn by another LS mate that was in an even more questionable picture...**


	9. Hiashi's Secret

**Chapter 9: Hiashi's Secret**

_In which Kakashi discovers more than he bargains…_

"Hi-ya!" Ino yelled out at the top of her lungs and threw a desperate kick at Naruto. The young jinchūriki side stepped the attack with relative ease.

"Come on, you can do better than that!" He taunted with a cocky grin. One hand rested in his open jacket, while the other shot up to catch Ino's backhand.

Ino quickly pulled herself away from Naruto and back stepped a couple yards away. She wiped sweat from her head while staring at her opponent intensely. It wasn't bad enough that the sun was hot, but the humidity was making it rather hard for her to catch her breath.

She cursed under her breath at proposing to get some _quality _training time with Naruto this morning. When she said _quality_, she didn't mean this. Gaara, Lee and the two tails sat at the edge of the clearing, watching with amusement as Naruto dominate her with almost no effort. Hell, he unconsciously handicapped himself by only using one arm and he's still making her look like a fool!

She reached down for a kunai, then cursed under breath upon realizing she was unarmed. "Guess we'll do this the hard way." She mumbled to herself. Enhancing her legs with chakra, she leapt at him with a shinobi's prowess and poised her fists to strike her target with pure fury.

"Gotcha!" She let out a warcry as the fist shot out aimed at Naruto's jaw. Without warning, his eyes flashed red as a strong wall of wind appeared between them and launched her back with a vicious thud.

"Sorry Ino," Naruto scratched the back of his head, "my mind was lost in thought for a second and just kinda reacted."

Ino pushed her body up to a sitting position, dumbfounded at what just happened. She knew Naruto had wind affinity, but no way was that normal. There were no hand signs, no verbal commands, so what was it? "How did you do that?" Ino asked as Naruto's shadow covered her voluptuous figure.

"Do what?" Naruto asked. A second later, his eyes widen in realization and snapped his fingers, "Oh! You mean this?"

Naruto's eyes flashed red as he waved a hand back and forth and, as if on command, gust of wind shot between him an Ino, causing the girl to shriek and grabbed the hem of her skirt. "Yes, that!" she pointed at him accusingly.

"I was unaware you knew such abilities." Gaara proclaimed as Ino and Naruto suddenly became away from his and Lee's presence.

The young leaf jinchūriki smiled, "Oh it's something I developed with Kakashi-sensei. Just like how you infuse your chakra with dirt and sand, I do the same thing except I use the wind around me."

"You may have the chakra, but I'm aware of your lack of control. Fundamentally speaking, you shouldn't be able to control anything, much less a gust of wind." Gaara explained. Lee and Ino watched as the two jinchūriki's talk, completely ignoring that they were even there.

Ino felt her cheeks blush, once again reminded that she doesn't share as close of a bond to Naruto as does Gaara. The two talked casually to each other like this, easily capable of shutting out the world in their conversation, yet if she were to talk to Naruto, he could easily get distracted from their conversation and forgetting about it completely.

"Ah my red haired friend," Naruto held up a finger, "I may lack chakra control, but I excel at using my tailed beast's chakra… well to what part of him I can control."

To prove his point, his eyes flashed to his demon mode again as a spinning pillar of wind appeared to their side. A feint green chakra could be seen directing the wind in an unnatural motion. "Interesting."

Ino looked at the red haired kazekage in surprise. Never had she ever thought she'd live to hear such a word escape such a powerful teen's Mouth.

"To turn demonic chakra into wind chakra… Ingenious, though risky." Gaara admired.

Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah. It doesn't take as much chakra to produce a stronger effect, but it's more unstable than normal wind chakra. Not to mention anyone trained can sense this kind of chakra."

"Ah ha, I got it!" Naruto turned to Ino. Chills ran down her spine when she looked into those crimson feral eyes, "We are going to find out your affinity!"

"Huh?" Everyone but Naruto said in unison.

XX

an hour later...

"Naruto, what the hell is this?" Ino deadpanned looking at the fragile black paper.

Naruto held the black piece of paper between his finger tips in everyone's view, "This, my dear little Ino, is how we're going to check your affinity. Observe." Ino and Lee moved closer to get a better view, eyes locked on the small parchment afraid to miss a single detail.

As if it were done by a pair on invisible scissors, the paper split clean in half and flew in opposing directions. "As you can see, my chakra is wind."

A trio of heads turned to Gaara as he held up a paper as well, and on cue, the paper split in two. "Wind." Gaara affirmed.

"Wait, I thought your affinity was sand Gaara-kun!" Lee pointed at the kazekage's gourd.

Gaara shook his head, "No, there are only five basic affinities. Earth, Fire, Wind, Water and…"

"Heart?" Lee finished. Naruto and Gaara slapped their palms against their face, both unsure if the chunin was serious or joking. Sadly, they were betting on the former.

"Lightning." Naruto corrected. "Now, there are advance types, but these are usually kekkai genkais such as Captain Yamato's wood element. However there are exceptions, like jinchūriki's tend to have unusual element types, case in point, Gaara here. Not only that, but some ninja's, mostly clans, have access to other elements with their jutsus such as the Nara clan and their shadow element."

"Now," Naruto held up a small parchment of black paper, "Ino, your turn."

The long haired blonde gulped and grabbed the piece of paper, "Okay, here goes."

"All you have to do is apply some chakra." Naruto informed.

A concentrated look graced Ino's features while she stared at the parchment, her mind focused as she pushed chakra through her body and to her finger tips. _Come on! Come on!_ She shut her eyes to concentrate harder. _You stupid paper… don't make me look like an idiot in front of Naruto!_

"Ah ha!" She heard Naruto shout in excitement. Fearfully, she slowly opened one eye to sneak a peek, preparing herself for disappointment. The once stiff paper hung over, dripping wet as it he had been dowsed under a faucet.

"Did I do it?" She asked staring at the wet paper in disbelief.

Naruto beamed her a smile while shooting her a thumbs up, "Hell yeah you did! It's water."

Without warning, her body flung at Naruto and wrapped the jinchūriki in a powerful hug, "I can't wait to tell Shikamaru and Choji!"

"Ahem," The two tails heavy voice alerted the four to its presence, "Sorrry to ruin your fun, boy. But I believe the one tails has an appointment."

"Five already?" The question was more of a statement as Gaara gazed into the sky at the unforgiving sun, "I suppose I can't keep Lady Hokage waiting. Naruto, Lee, Ino."

Naruto just nodded as Gaara walked alongside the two-tails back to Konoha. "I guess I should go as well, Naruto-kun." Lee held up a fist, "Next time we spare, I want to test your wind against my flames of youth! Bye Naruto-kun!" In a blur of green, he was gone, leaving the two blondes alone, surrounded by nothing but grass and trees.

"And then there were two." Naruto said eerily as a wind blew between him and Ino.

"Stop that!" Ino playfully slapped him on his chest.

XX

A rasp on the door alerted Hiashi Hyuga. The noble calmly set his quill into it's ink bottle, "Who is it?"

"Hiashi-dono," The familiar voice alerted the noble that it was his personal messenger, "a Hatake Kakashi-san is here."

"Understand. Show him in." Hiashi informed while straightening his papers.

The old fashion Japanese style paper door slid open revealing Kakashi's presence. "Sorry to drop by." Kakashi raised a hand in a friendly gesture. Before Hiashi could open his mouth to say a word, Kakashi nonchalantly let himself in and approached the desk.

His head turned to take in the view of the entire room. Gold wall paper with a golden floral design, various suits of samurai armor stood again the far wall, while above them were traditional katanas and kodachis on their perspective racks. However, none of it were truly traditional, so to speak. The hilts and sheaths of the swords were much too fine and highly decorated with expensive silk and gems to truly be useful on the battle field.

Plain weapons were expensive as is, and often more than not did weapons break on the battlefield, regardless how well you took care of it. The armors were a little ridiculous in his eyes as well. The helmets were designed to resemble demonic faces, with narrow eye slits far to hard for anyone to see out of. If one were to wear the armors, you'd be better off to go without a helm and see than risk it with severe restriction on your field of vision.

He eyes turned to the wall to his left. Several paintings hung on the wall, clearly Hiashi was a man of art as well. Three to be exact. Two were traditional Japanese paintings, clearly very old and from the same painter judging by their style. The third however, definitely came from over seas. It was an abstract painting he recognized in pictures, one titled "The Woman" yet, it looked nothing like a woman. The mouth as far off, so were the eyes, and the picture itself resembled blue and pink triangles just throw together.

Then there was the lighting, he knew Hiashi, along with many other nobles, preferred the old ways. But keeping a room lit with candles wasn't old, it was ancient! _"Wonder if Hiashi has heard of something called the light bulb."_ Kakashi mused to himself.

"I'm so glad you take interest in my room," Hiashi brought Kakashi back to reality, no hint of emotion in his voice. A true professional if Kakashi had seen one.

"Yes, it's an interesting room. Along with an interesting house. Very traditional." Kakashi said while approaching the desk and laying down a large book. Hiashi eyed the book suspiciously before grabbing it and flipping it open.

"Hmm, these are bank records." Hiashi stated, "Of course, the question asks what would a man such as yourself be doing with a copy of one of my bank's records."

"I believe you'll find your answer on page 832." Kakashi responded. He watched as Hiashi did as he was instructed and thumbed through the pages. Several moments had passed until he saw, however brief it was, a surprised look on Hiashi.

"You realize what you're accusing." Pale, lavender eyes turned cold and stared into a single onyx, as if he were looking into the eye of a demon.

Kakashi nodded, "Whether or not you agree, Naruto is dear to me. And if someone is indeed stealing from him, then I'll find out who's doing it regardless of the consequences. I came here hoping you'd assist, but don't think that if you refuse I'll give up and go home."

Hiashi shook his head, "Stubborn fool. Anyways, I'm glad you brought this too my attention. I've been suspecting that one of my bank managers have been stealing from my customers for years. At least this will give me some evidence to form an investigation. Hyaku!" Hiashi called out.

"Yes milord?" A hyuga, the one who had escorted Kakashi, appeared in the doorway.

"Fetch Hinata." Hiashi ordered. The messenger bowed before disappearing.

Kakashi watched the man disappear then turned his attention back to Hiashi, "I was hoping we could discuss some more things in private."

Hiashi held up a hand to silence Kakashi, "Whatever you have to say you can say in front of my daughter as well."

Kakashi let out a sigh, "Unfortunately, this is classified information concerning Kushina Uzumaki and Minato Namikaze."

"I see." Hiashi closed the book in his hand, "Kushina Uzumaki, that's a name I haven't heard in years. I suppose it's only natural for a ghost to appear at a time like this."

"If you can call her a ghost." Kakashi responded.

"Hmm, and what does her son, Naruto, have to say about this?" Hiashi debated out loud. A small, high pitched squeal caught their attention as both men turned toward the door.

Hinata stood there, twiddling her fingers in embarrassment, "Forgive me, I didn't mean to over hear." She quickly bowed apologetically.

"Don't forget, I'm the one that summoned you here." Hiashi said while Hinata regained her composer and moved beside Kakashi.

"What's this about Naruto and um…" Hinata said meekly.

_"Really Hiashi, I'd rather some things stay in the closet." _Kakashi sighed, "So you are aware of the fact that Kushina Uzumaki is Naruto's mother?" He glanced at the hyuga girl, her eyes wide with amazement. Her gaze turned from him to her father, looking for some sort of confirmation.

"I am aware of Naruto's lineage" Hiashi informed then called out to the hall, "Hyaku, close the door and insure we are not disturbed by anyone until further instructed."

"Yes milord." Hyaku appeared at the door before sliding it shut.

"Hinata, I'm sure this doesn't need to be said, but what I say doesn't leave this room." Hiashi flatly told his daughter.

XX

"So, how do we go about my water training?" Ino asked as she and Naruto settled by the lake nearby.

"Well," Naruto began as he threw his mesh shirt and jacket to the side and laid flat on his back, "I was thinking about asking Captain Yamato. He's really good with water jutsus, maybe even better than Kakashi-sensei."

"Oh." Came Ino's small reply.

"You sound disappointed." Naruto responded, looking at the blonde haired beauty beside him.

"I was kind of hoping you'd teach me." Ino admitted. Taking the initiative, she sat near his head and slowly began to caress his cheeks. Her fingers ran over the whisker like marks, how they lightly rose up from the skin like a scar. Hell, she used to even think that they were scars until recently.

She saw it, it was for only a split second, but she saw the panic and fear in his eyes when her fingers first caressed his cheek. "What are you doing?" A bewildered Naruto asked, his mask firmly in place.

"What does it look like I'm doing silly." Ino teased, "I was just curious about your marks."

"Oh…" The comment left Naruto without a word. Without warning, the jinchūriki broke physical contact by sitting up.

"If you didn't like it you could've said something." Ino said, crossing her arms over her breast. In words and body language, disappointment spoke loud volumes.

Naruto shook his head, "Naw it's okay."

"About my training…" Ino bit her lip, slightly nervous at the possibility of Naruto's rejection, "I was hoping that maybe, instead of asking Captain Yamato, you teach me. We could grab books and ask some of the other ninja's advice, but I'd like it if it was one-on-one. You know, someone I can trust."

"I don't know…" Naruto looked at the small lake, it's clear water seemed to sparkle from the of rays from the sun escaping through the forest canopy. "I'm not exactly a water user."

"I'll make you a deal. You say yes, and I'll make home-made ramen once a week starting tonight." Ino offered with a smile, knowing full well what she was doing.

"Once a week?" Naruto turned to her with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Well… I guess I could make it two nights, but…" Ino raised up a finger, "We'll be having more than just ramen. We're working in the vegetables too. Also," She raised up a second finger, "you're going to help me buy the groceries every night we have ramen."

Naruto eyed her suspiciously, "Sounds like a little one sided deal if you ask me."

"Fine, two nights of ramen with vegetables and one night of a well home cooked meal. Final offer." Ino held out a hand with a gleam in her eyes, Naruto took it to solidify the deal, "_Now, time to work on the charms. They say a way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Among other things…_" She thought while glancing at his well toned body.

A flash of a smile crossed Naruto's lips as the next thing Ino knew, he jumped back pulling her with him into the water. "Naruto you jerk!" Splash!

XX

"I see." Kakashi took the book from the desk, "I wish you told me about this sooner."

"Forgive me. You see, a month after the attack, physically she recovered, however, I'm afraid her mental state was still nursing fresh wounds. She had just lost her lover, plus her son had a terrible curse placed upon him. Regardless of Minato's intentions, she knew that Naruto wouldn't be able to live such a life." Kakashi was taken aback by Hiashi's words. Guilt and sorrow was clear as day in the Hyuga. Part of him regretted forcing Hiashi to relive such memories, but it had to be done.

"The Third had approached me, unaware that my compound was nursing Kushina. Minato had decreed in his will that should he perish, his assets go to Konoha's orphanage system." Hiashi said.

Kakashi nodded, "Makes sense not to leave anything behind to Kushina. If he were to die in combat, and leave everything to her and Naruto, it wouldn't take long for everyone to start drawing a connection."

"Yes," Hiashi confirmed, "however, it wouldn't matter whether he did or not, Kushina was rather quite wealthy due to being an Uzumaki. Being a ninja was more of a passion for her than a way to make a living."

"Which is why the Third had split her account in half, to set aside some money for Naruto." Kakashi pieced together.

"Not quite," Hiashi took the book from Kakashi and opened it to page 832, "we transferred all of her assets to Naruto. It would seem that someone had reopened her account and reinvested the money from Naruto's account. Last place anyone would think to check would be a dead woman's bank account."

"I see. And the max withdrawal?" Kakashi queried. Things were beginning to make more sense as Hiashi explained things. Kushina surviving the attack, the Naruto's account, Minato's account, Kushina's account, while it didn't answer all of his questions, it did close the book on some. The main problem was that, it added more questions into the fray.

"As I said, she knew Naruto wouldn't be able to live a normal, happy life. Yet, she knew she couldn't take Naruto away. She wouldn't say why, but she said Naruto was needed here." Hiashi said, "So when the Third approached me, I took the opportunity to make a withdrawal on Kushina's behalf and smuggle her out of the country."

"If that's, why didn't she stay here? Naruto needed her!" Kakashi slammed his hands on the desk. The action surprised Hiashi and Hinata, both never seen Kakashi angry in their entire lifetimes. "Jiraiya was chasing after Orochimaru and I was forbidden from approaching Naruto by the Third for as long as I was with ANBU. So if she was here, she could've at least gave Naruto some sort of normalcy in his life!"

"So that is why you quit ANBU. I always wondered what your reason was." Hiashi mused calmly.

"Forgive me," Kakashi regained his composure. He bowed politely, a characteristic Hiashi found unnerving as Kakashi had never showed any sort of mannerism when it came too a Hyuga, "I have to go."

Kakashi grabbed the book and turned toward the door, sliding it open. "Will you still pursue Kushina-sama?" Hiashi's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Yes," came Kakashi's cold reply. "But not just for Naruto's sake, for my sake as well. I have questions that only she can answer."

"I'll send Hinata to your house at noon, tomorrow. We'll head to my bank together and investigate. Hopefully it won't take too long to get some answers." Hiashi, turning to his daughter who bowed in agreement.

"Until then." Kakashi disappeared through the doorway, sliding the door shut behind him.

"Father?" Hinata looked at Hiashi, confused at what could be going through the man's mind. "Will Kakashi-sensei be okay?"

Hiashi stood up, knocking his chair back and circled the desk. His powerful, yet gentle arms circled around his daughter in a tight hug, "Some times I forget how lucky I am to have two wonderful daughters. To see you both grow up before my very eyes, I take that for granted too much."

Unsure of what to do, Hinata did the only thing natural. She returned the embrace as tears began to form. Hiashi's story and Kakashi's reaction really opened her eyes to just how little she knew about Naruto and just how close the Kakashi's bond was to the boy. The two didn't always show it like she did with Kurenai-sensei, but from today's evidence, it was clear that Naruto was truly dear to the jonin.

"Tell you what," Hiashi broke the embrace and looked at his daughter, "How about you go tell Aiko not to worry about dinner and you cook tonight. I know how much you love cooking and I don't think I've ever ate any of your food."

"Really?" Hinata's eyes lit at the prospect. "Hanabi and Neji too?"

"Sure," Hiashi gave one of his rare smiles, "we'll make it a family affair."

XX

The half moon perched in the sky as Kakashi stood on the Hokage Tower, his mind contemplating everything he learned today. Many had spoke highly of the jonin's calm demeanor, yet, today such a man didn't exist. All that stood was a confused man, questioning why such things had to happen in this world.

"Kakashi?" Tsunade's voice called out to him. The woman approached the jonin, taking note at the crushed railing in Kakashi's grip, clearly unaware he was pushing chakra to his hands.

She leaned against the railing and gazed at the jonin, his mask pulled down. It was the first time she had seen the jonin without his mask, and to say his features were striking was an understatement. "Kakashi Hatake." She called out again, this time in a more commanding tone.

"Where did things go wrong?" Kakashi questioned. Tsunade was unsure if the question was rhetorical or towards her, either way Kakashi continued before she said anything, "I talked to Hiashi about Kushina. There's some things you should know."

"You're moving faster than I anticipated." Tsunade watched as the jonin slid his mask back on.

"One step forward, three steps back." Kakashi said, his lone eye turned to the puzzled hokage, "Let's talk about it in your office. I could use a drink."

Tsunade only nodded, something was clearly wrong. She could feel it in her bones, but for some reason, she felt like being there was the last place she wanted to be.

**Well, I'm back. I planned for a big fight scene on this chapter but, lost all of my notes so had to re-do everything from scratch. Instead decided to focus this chapter a bit on Naruto/Ino and Kakashi diving head first into the mystery. Don't worry, there'll be a fight scene next chapter, however, I want the main focus of the story to be on the Naruto/Ino aspect and the humanity of the characters, not one person kicking another person's ass, so don't expect a three chapter long fight. That's what DBZ is for.  
**

**Oh, and as for Ino learning water, I wanted to pick something that a lot of people tend to ignore. Whenever a character in a story learns their affinity it's always something like fire, lightning or wind, whatever is deemed cool. Earth and Water just get no love. It's a conspiracy I swear.**

**Already got a vague idea on where I want to take this story. Well, had a vague idea a long time ago, just lost notes equals starting from scratch. So feel free if you got any ideas. Trying to avoid being clichéd, but then again, everything is clichéd these days it's just a matter of putting your personal twist on it. If your idea sounds plausible (sorry I don't see Naruto suddenly strapping Sasuke to a rocket and sending him to the moon), and fits in the general direction of where I want to go, I'll add it with full credit going to whoever supplied the idea.  
**


	10. Basic Water Training

**Chapter 10: Basic Water Training: The Gate Guarding Duo**

In which Ino receives a crash course in water…

A chill ran down Kakashi's spine as he entered his greatest nightmare: Konoha First Ninja Bank. Instead of traditional walls, the outside was full of glass panels, giving the building a unique allure compared to most other banks. It seemed fragile, but Kakashi knew it was anything but.

The inside was pure white, akin to a hospital room, Kakashi's second greatest nightmare, with men and women walking around dressed in expensive business kimonos. No intricate patterns, just single colors; most were blue but a few he saw were black or steel gray, made out of the finest fabric he'd seen. No normal bank would require their employees to dress as such, but then again, this wasn't a normal bank, it was Hiashi's bank.

"Hatake Kakashi!" A large woman rounded the corner, her curled brown hair bouncing with fury. "Take off that mask at this instance!"

"Well, if it isn't my favorite bank manager." Kakashi held up a hand in his usual greeting gesture.

"This isn't some place for you to play ninja. Take it off or I'll throw you out!" The woman warned.

"Is there a problem?" Hiashi questioned as he and Hinata walked through the glass sliding doors.

The woman pointed at Kakashi accusingly, "Sorry milord, but this here ninja refuses to remove his mask!"

"I'm well aware of Kakashi's habits, but he's here on official business." Hiashi's lavender eyes rested on the woman, "Kakashi is excused from this moment on. Do I make myself clear?"

The woman's accusing hand dropped to her side, all fury that once seethed out of her pours ceased to exist, replace by a chilling fear. "Y-y-yes milord. Forgive me Hatake-san, I was unaware." The woman bowed at the jonin.

"That's alright." Kakashi looked around the bank, at the various desks, "So tell me. Where do you keep your records?"

XX

Thud! "Here we go." Naruto chimed merrily as he sat another stack of books on the desk in a rather haphazard way, the scattering dust revealing the books' lack of recent use.

"And this is?" Ino looked at the books with a cocked eyebrow, fearful at already knowing the answer.

"Volumes one through eight on chakra manipulation. Written in detail by the Third himself." Naruto boasted proudly. Ino cringed as she look at the pile of books to here left, ranging from water jutsus to chakra control to nature transformation.

"This is going to take us forever!" She whined hitting her head on the desk in defeat.

"Well you said you wanted to do one-on-one training." Naruto pulled out a chair beside her and lazily plopped into it, immediately placing an elbow on the table with his head resting in his hand.

"I know I know." Ino said, "But with all these books it'll take me months to read them!"

"Well, don't think we could practice the way I did." Naruto nonchalantly threw out, unaware of the consequences of his comment.

Energy renewed, Ino pushed her head off the desk and turned toward Naruto, "You mean there's another way other than just studying?" Her eyes lit up at such a prospect.

"Well, I didn't mean it like that. You'd have to have a lot of chakra in order to do it. And we'd need someone to explain the basics to us first." Naruto immediately leaned back to create some distance away from woman as she shadowed over him more and more as each passing second.

"Come on, Naruto, spill it!" She leaned closer, causing the jinchūriki to fall back out of his chair. "Ah!." Came the scream, forcing a giggle to escape her throat.

Naruto had this gut feeling he was going to regret opening his mouth…

XX

Kakashi, Hiashi and Hinata spread around the main officer in the bank, each at a different desk sorting through hundreds of scrolls and folders. "IC loans, IP loans, Itkia loans…" Kakashi read out loud as he rummaged through a filing cabinet labeled "Loans I-N".

"Found it!" Hinata held up two manila folders from her desk. In the blink of an eye, Hiashi and Kakashi were at her desk with both folders open with it's contents neatly sprawled out.

"Excellent job Hinata." Hiashi commented. "Kushina's and Naruto's current bank records." The trio began the long process of looking at the numbers.

"I see." Hiashi said out loud.

"What is it?" Kakashi's only good eye looked at the paper Hiashi was, and followed the Noble's finger as it slid to Naruto's name. The finger slid even further, over a series of numbers until it stopped on a single letter.

"A clan tax? It's what made me come to you in the first place, but what's so special about it.?" Kakashi asked.

"This clan tax is different. See how it has the squiggly line above it that's colored pink?" Kakashi nodded as Hinata began to explain, "That symbol means the tax isn't going to the village treasury, but straight to a public program. Some clans have made a request that part their taxes be used for specific purposes, like our schools for example. When the Hokage approves, we add this symbol."

Hiashi removed himself from the desk and approached a large shelf containing numerous books and folders. His hand scoured the shelf, until it stopped and plucked a large book from the masses. "You're only allow to make such requests at the last week of spring each year."

He opened to the middle of the book, then lightly licked his thumb and began to flip through the pages, "Because of that symbol, we can easily look up to see what sort of program the tax is going to. That should take us to the source."

XX

"Captain Yamato!" Naruto and Ino shouted in unison. The part-time ANBU and current second-in-command of Team Kakashi looked up from his glass.

"Naruto, how'd you know where to find me?" Yamato stared at genin. Any expression he may have had was carefully concealed.

"Oi, everyone knows this is your favorite bar." Naruto said folding his arms. Indeed it was a bar. The same one Ino had dragged Naruto too if his memory was right. "Only reason why we're looking for you is because Ino's trying to learn water manipulation."

"I see. Well, you came to the right person." Yamato chugged down the last of his sake and wiped his lips with his sleeve, "So when do we start?" He sat the glass down and turned his full attention to the two blondes.

"Sorry, I kinda promised Ino it'd be one-on-one. We just came here to ask for advice." Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head, slightly embarrassed.

"Oh… OH!" Yamato spoke, his mind quickly jumping to the conclusions.

"Not like that!" Naruto quickly protested raising a fist. "I just helping!"

"Oh, come on Naruto-kun." Ino grabbed hold of his arm and whispered into his ear. "No need to be shy."

Blood rushed through the teen's cheek as Ino said those words, causing Yamato to burst out laughing. "Stop that! It's not like that, I swear!" Naruto protested some more.

"It's okay Naruto, I believe you." Yamato chuckled while Ino winked and flashed him a victory sign.

"He's quick to protest, but doesn't complain when some beautiful girl grabs him by the arm." Ino giggled as Naruto shook his head in disbelief.

"Shikamaru and Choji weren't lying when they said you're a handful."

"Now, onto business." Yamato clapped his hands together and began to rub them, "So how much exactly do you know?"

"Err I know plenty about wind manipulation. I'm just unfamiliar with water period." Naruto admitted.

"I see. Ino, hold out your hand." Yamato raised a finger and ordered a glass of water. Ino released Naruto's arm and held out her hand, as if expecting to be given something.

Yamato took the glass from the waitress and turned to the girl, and without warning, began to pour the water in her hand. "What the hell are you doing!" Ino shouted at the jonin and pulled her hand away.

"Teaching. Put your hand back out." Yamato instructed. Reluctantly the blonde haired Yamanaka heiress did as she was told, and once again Yamato slowly poured the water into the palm of her hand. "Notice how the water flows freely? Never stopping, just flowing around any and all obstacles. Much like a river, you can't grab it or stop it, but you can control the flow. Now imagine this water is your chakra."

Yamato sat the empty glass down and slid off the barstool to a kneeling position in front of the puddle he created with the two blondes doing the same, "Once you grasp that, you can control any water around you. Whether it's a river, the humidity in the air, or even a small glass of water." The water on the floor jumped as if it had a life on it's own and into a spinning ball in Yamato's hand.

"In a sense, it's one of the easiest elements to manipulate, but unlike earth or fire, it requires a greater deal of finesse and concentration. The water is never a part of you, rather, it's an extension, and you must learn to feel beyond more than just your body in order to control it." Yamato stood up with the ball of spinning water. The ball came to a sudden halt before leaping from the hand and back into the glass.

"I think I get it." Ino stared at the glass in wonder. Never had she imagined just how complicated nature manipulation really was.

"The best teachers are trial and error." Yamato said, raising a finger to order another glass of sake.

"Thank you." Ino bowed gracefully before grabbing Naruto by the arm and pulling him out of the bar.

"Heh, kids." The jonin chuckled before chugging down his sake.

XX

"Hmm." Hiashi sat the large book down, his mind focused on it's contents, "Kakashi, you mind doing me a favor?" The noble turned toward the jonin's eyes were focused on a scroll.

"I need you to go ask Lady Tsunade if I can see her records from the treasury. I have a hunch our answer will be there."

Kakashi closed the scroll, "The treasury won't be open for another couple of days."

"I'm aware of that. But this way she can begin the necessary arrangements for us." Hiashi stood up from the desk with the massive book tucked under his arm. "I'll be heading home. There's a few things I want to look over in the meantime. Hinata?" Hiashi's gaze rested on the young heiress.

"Yes, father?" The meek girl replied.

"I need you to clean up this mess. Be sure everything is in the correct order. We can't leave a trail as to what we're up to."

XX

Night began to settle over the large village. The cool autumn wind carried through the streets, carrying leaves in a gravity defying dance. The once busy streets had quieted down, only shops with questionable patrons continued to remain open. Doors began to lock and light's were turned on, forcing the darkness away.

"Dammit!" A disappointed Ino Yamanaka could be heard from her kitchen. A glass of water sat on the table with her over it, both hands held out with palms open aimed at the fragile container. "Captain Yamato did this so much easier." She sighed in defeat.

"Oh come on, this takes most people years. Cheer up." Naruto said from the other side of the kitchen, his head buried in their refrigerator. Finding his target, a can of tea, Naruto shut the door and sat back at the table pulling back the can's tab.

"Oh yeah? And how long did it take you to?" Ino queried, her eyes fixed on the blonde.

"A week. Well just for the basics." Naruto informed.

"A week?" Naruto cringed at Ino's comment. "It took you a week and now look at you!"

Naruto shook his head, "I said a week for the basics. It took me a year to completely master wind. And I cheated with the help of my shadow clones, so imagine how long it would've taken me if I had done things like everyone else."

XX

"I hate night shift." Kotetsu grumbled from his chair. "It's always so booooring." He emphasized the last part.

"It's part of our job. And if you hadn't played hooky the other day, we wouldn't be in this mess." Izumo said sternly. "We're just lucky the Fifth didn't kick our ass."

"Oh man what I wouldn't do for a nice meal right about now." The chunin leaned back in his chair, lazily staring at the star filled sky.

"Someone help!" A woman's voice cried out, both men's quickly snapping toward the gate. A shadowy silhouette could be seen in the distance, but the lack of lighting prevented them from seeing anything in detail.

"What's going on?" Kotetsu said to his partner as both men jumped over the booth.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Izumo yelled at his partner as both men ran in a mad dash to the silhouette. It didn't take long until they were able to get a good view of bloodied woman with a small child in her arms.

"What's going on?" Izumo's question was more to himself than to the woman. Without warning, two men, one large and the other quite skinny, landed between them in the woman. Their clothing resembled shinobi gi's that ninja's once wore well over a century ago. The last time either one of them had seen such an outfit it was in a movie set in some far off ancient country.

"I'm sorry." The skinny man began, "But I'm afraid this doesn't concern you leaf punks. Now go ahead and scram! It's bad enough we have to deal with trash like this." Kotetsu and Izumo's eyes narrowed on the katana in the man's eye.

"Kotetsu, you see that?" Izumo pointed at the blood coated blade. His partner nodded while pulling out a kunai.

"Hey, Ko, looks like they want to fight." The skinny ninja pointed out.

"Ha ha they so dumb." The dim witted large man reached to his back, flipping a giant axe over his shoulder and down in front. "Ko play with puny people. Maybe then Ko not be so angry."

"Soooo…" Izumo turned to his partner, "About that meal?"

"First one to take one out gets treated to a meal at Akimichi's." Kotetsu planted his feet, kunai poised forward.

"You're on!" Izumo leapt at skinny ninja, launching a kunai ahead of him. Clank! The small kunai was deflected by the katana. "Gotcha!" Izumo's fist drove into the ninja's face, sending him flying against a tree.

"Me chop you to pieces!" The large ninja hefted his axe with relative easy before bringing it down in a massive blow. The blade missing it's agile target and digging itself into the soft soil.

"Too slow!" Kotetsu jumped at the man and threw a kick into his neck. The man, seemingly unphased slapped Kotetsu back with his forearm. Kotetsu threw out a hand before he hit the ground to spring himself upright and onto his feet, still sliding several more feet from the momentum before coming to a stop.

"Man, you may be slow, but you're a fucking elephant." Kotetsu threw the kunai at the behemoth only for it to be batted away by the axe. "Guess I'll need something bigger!"

Poof! Kotetsu threw out his scroll and a giant mace with a conch shell for a head appeared in a puff of smoke. "Let's see who's bigger!"

The skinny ninja flipped to his feet and lunged at Izumo, barely missing the stab. He regained his composer and swung the sword in a mighty swing. Cling! Kunai and sword met. "Stupid punk." The skinny man seethed as Izumo held the sword at bay with a meer kunai in hand.

Clank! Clank! A fury of swipes tore through the air, as steel met steel in a series of vicious blows. And with each blow, a new gash appeared on the kunai._ "Damn, that's too high quality of a weapon for him to just be a bandit."_ Izumo gritted his teeth.

Fwoosh! He ducked the katana and spun around, his foot swinging out and catching the skinny ninja by the legs. Thud! Carried by momentum, he continued the spin while bringing the kunai up, and launching it in a blind throw. "Arg!" He heard the painful grunt as the kunai struck true and buried itself in the skinny ninja's shoulder.

"Ko!" The skinny ninja cried for help. A whirling grey appeared in the corner of Izumo's eye. His ninja instincts kicked in and he jumped back as an axe came digging itself into the ground where he once stood.

"Puny man leave friend alone." The large man shouted in rage, baring his badly cared for teeth, or what was left on them, at Izumo like a rabid wolf.

"Don't forget about me, stupid!" Kotetsu called out. Pow! His conch shell mace slammed into the side of the large man's head and sending the towering giant to the ground. Blood poured profusely and soiled the ground, forcing Kotetsu to turn his head or risk losing what little food was in his stomach.

"I won't forget this." The skinny ninja stood up, dropping his katana due to the pain from his shoulder. With his good arm, he dug into his stain red leather pouch on his belt and pulled out three pellets.

"Shield your eyes!" Izumo called out while shutting his eyes tight and covering them with his arm. The skinny ninja slammed the three pellets to the ground; and in a blinding flash of light, he was gone. The only sign of where he once stood was a puddle of blood and the blood stained katana.

"Coward." Izumo hissed under his breath. He scoured the area looking for any signs of his partner. Remembering the woman, he turned to her general direction to find Kotetsu leaning over her with two fingers pressed against her neck. The child, a young girl, crying into his shoulder screaming "Sister!" repeatedly.

"How is she?" Izumo walked to the woman, his eyes tracing over her body for an signs of visible wounds. Or rather, any sort of wounds that would prevent them from moving her. Her blouse and skirt were in shreds, stained with blood. From the looks of her clothes, he'd have to guess she had lived on one of the rice fields up north or on a farm to the east.

"She's badly hurt, but if we get her to the hospital soon, we can save her." Kotetsu scooped the woman in his arms.

Izumo nodded while grabbing the child, "Let's go."

"What about the gate?" Kotetsu asked in concern.

"Fuck the gate. If Tsunade asks I'll take full blame." Izumo said with Kotetsu silently agreeing. In a whirl of leaves, both ninjas shunshined from the site, determined to save the young girl's life.

XX

**AN: Well another chapter out. I found the fight scene a little harder than I thought. While some times I like epic fights, some of the best fights are short and sweet. Spike Vs Vicious, Ed Vs Greed, just to give an example. I wanted to capture that, but found it a bigger challenge than what I thought. Also felt if I saved long fights for a period when it actually makes sense. Also, I realize there's quite bit going on in this chapter, but it's to further along the plot. Next chapter is going to focus mostly on Naruto/Ino, promise. And with Jiraiya as his mentor, you can bet Naruto already knows the best place to go to for water training. Of course things might get a little steamy...  
**


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